The New Recruits: Suicide Kings
by speedfanatic05
Summary: The ongoing saga of the new recruits as they are faced with the challenge of stopping a trio from turning the streets of Miami into a battle ground. Fourth installment in The New Recruits Series. NOW COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 1

The New Recruits: Suicide Kings

Disclaimer: I own nothing of the original cast of Miami, although if I had, the travesty that is season four would not exist.

A/N: It's been a very long time since I even thought about this, but it exploded into my brain. So here it is...

Summary: The ongoing saga of the new recruits as they are faced with the challenge of stopping a trio from turning the streets of Miami into a battle ground.

When we last saw the New Recruits...

" _Try it with your heart and not your mind, Tim. Talk to her from here," Alexx responded as she put a hand to his chest. " I guarantee that you will get further if you do that. Trust me, honey..."_

_As they rode in silence, Calleigh turned to him and said, _" _Glad to see you again Horatio..."_

" _Mr. Delko suffered a mild heart attack..."_

_She then turned to Rory with a glint in her eyes, _" _Are you doing anything tonight?"_

_Rory smirked broadly and shook his head, " No, but I can bet that you have something planned. Am I right?"_

" _Correct. We are going on a little hunt. Are you game?"_

" _More than ever," Rory replied as he walked away with her..._

" _What's going to happen to her?" _

" _We are going to keep her 72 hours for observation purposes,..." _

Chapter One

Six months later...

Tim walked through the doors of the lab, seeking only one person. He was coming back today, after half a year of rehabilitation and rest, Eric Delko was returning back to work. It had been a hard six months for them as a team, with Jen and Delko out on medical leave and Jacinda on maternity leave. There had been many double shifts and overtime hours, but they managed to make it. Rory had even stepped up to the plate, almost single handedly taking care of the Moore case, making sure it didn't get pushed back into the land of the unknown. They hadn't been able to catch the perp, but the case remained workable.

Passing the fingerprinting lab, he saw Rory as he shot out of the door, a file in hand. He remembered when he used to be as eager as he was, coming in early and leaving late, but with family, that didn't last. He found himself leaving with the shift change a lot more often when he married Robin and started having kids, barely waiting for the second shift to hit the door.

_Robin_, he thought as Rory caught up to him. He missed his wife and daughter terribly, not to mention the gaping hole in his heart for Robert. Life had changed in an instant for him, and it had taken him a long time to come to terms with it, but he had finally made some progress.

"Speed, I got something on the Moore case," Rory said almost out of breath, flipping the file open. " It's a slim chance, but..."

" But , it won't work, Rory. We've tried that angle. What we need is a solid foot to stand on, and the uncle's fingerprints on the girl's bag doesn't do it. She lived with him, he could've touched it when he helped her get dressed in the morning."

Rory sighed heavily, closing his eyes quickly before opening them again, " I'm at my wits end about this, Speed. Every road I take, I run smack into a dead end."

" Maybe, you should let it go, Rory. We can't solve them all. No matter how hard you try," Speed returned as he saw Calleigh enter the break room followed by Alexx. He quickened his pace as he gave the file back to him. " Have you processed the evidence from the shooting at the shopping center?"

" Next on my list of things to do , right beside dropping dead," Rory dead panned as they reached the break room. He looked in to see Jacinda standing next to the coffee machine. Since she had gone out on maternity leave early, Rory found himself missing her.

"Are you coming in?" Speed asked looking back at him, poised to open the door.

" I've got work to do. I can see Mr. Delko later today," Rory said ,keeping his eyes on Jacinda. It seemed like she was doing okay, but he just wanted to be certain.

" You know, you'll never know until you go in there and ask," Speed remarked with a small smile. " I'm sure she would appreciate knowing that she was missed around here."

"What? I didn't say anything," Rory returned, clearing his throat heavily.

" I'm surprised , Hutchison that you haven't learned this yet. We are CSIs, we observe everything."

" Apparently, you are psychic too," Rory quipped taking a deep breath. Letting it out he finished, "Okay, I'll go in for a little while, but then I have work to get to. Those bullets won't identify themselves."

"Good man,"Speed chuckled as he swung the door open. He was instantly greeted by the smiles of his teammates , his friends. In his darkest moments, he could count on them to be there as they already had been. Without them, he wasn't sure that he would have made it through .

"Nice to see you joining us, Tim," Calleigh remarked with a wide grin on her face. " I was starting to think that Eric would beat you here."

" Well, now and days, it takes a little more for me to get up," Speed quipped walking into their embraces. " But you know I couldn't miss his return."

" I still think that you can use the cane," came a voice behind them. Everyone turned to see Eric as he stood by the door, a wide smile on his face. " That is if you need it of course."

Tim gave him a big grin as he approached his friend, extending his hand out. Eric took it and shook it steadily, " Look who's talking? The man with a bum ticker. Guess there won't be any surprises today for you."

" Wow, Speed, I've been here less than two minutes and you are already digging on me. I'm touched."

" It's only because I care," Tim responded as he let his hand go, taking him into an embrace, " It's good to have you back."

"Good to be back," Eric smiled as he acknowledged the rest of the team. He noticed that there was one person missing. " Cal, I trust you haven't had your boy ruining my fingerprinting lab?"

"Who, Rory?" Calleigh asked as she glanced over to him standing by Alexx, his eyes squarely on Jacinda. " He's been a regular robot. I don't know how he does it."

" It's called multitasking," Rory piped up as he looked to them with a smirk. " It's something that some people can't get the hang of."

" If you are referring to me, Rory, then I have an excuse. I'm six months pregnant," Jacinda interjected.

" You weren't two months ago," Rory retorted with a sideways glance.

"No, I wasn't . But I was contending with a nasty bout of morning sickness," Jacinda shot back , a glare coming over her.

"Honey, I think this is the perfect time to stop while you're a head," Alexx leaned in with a whisper, loud enough for everyone to hear.

" She's right, Hutchinson,"Tim said as he turned again to see the door opening again. He was pleasantly surprised to see who was there.

"Good morning everyone. Eric, it's nice to see you again," Maddison greeted with a nod of her head. " Jacinda, you are looking well."

"Thanks , Maddison. You're looking rather good yourself,"Jacinda said as she put a hand to her stomach.

" You are being kind, Jacinda . It's been difficult , but we are making it through. Speaking of, Tim there is a call out to the Pier. I want you and Max to take it. We are still spread thin, so I've been snatching from the swing shift," Maddison said as she glanced over her team. Despite the losses, they seemed as solidified as ever.

"Max," Tim sighed heavily, " Fantastic, Alexx, do you have any aspirin? Max is something to be desired."

Just as he said that, the door opened and a young man walked in, carrying his kit. He shifted his eyes between them, finally landing on Tim, gesturing his head towards the door. His hazel eyes held a hint of impishness that dared not be let out. The silence that followed was somewhat disheartening to him, but he shrugged it off, realizing that the first shift was tighter than a ball of rubber bands. Not many newbies were privy to their relationship, which he wondered just how Rory Hutchinson made it in so fast.

"If you're ready, Speed," Max intoned almost irritably. " We have a call out waiting for us."

"Give me a second, Max," Tim responded as he glared at him.

" I'm in the garage," Max shot back then turned to leave. Once the door was shut, Tim glanced to Maddison who arched her eyebrow at him and shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm sorry , Speed, but we've got our hands tied behind our backs here. Beggars can't be chosers."

" Hey, I'm not exactly invalid here," Eric piped up with a small smile.

"No, but you just got back, it's lab work for you for a while, Eric," Maddison said as she took one last glance. " Everyone, let's get back to work, oh and Rory, I'll need to see you in my office."

Rory shot his head up sharply, trying to find the tone in his supervisor's voice. He had done nothing but work diligently on all his cases. Jacinda set her eyes on him, the worry evident. Rory had been all that everyone had wished for in a level One.

"Maddison, who's got the Pier?" Alexx asked, realizing that she hadn't been called upon.

" Why, your protege, of course," Maddison said with a small smirk. " He said that he was ready to get out there on his own now, so I sent him."

"Tim, hurry and get out there," Alexx returned quickly. " Make sure he does everything that he has to do."

Tim gave a little snicker, remembering just why Jarret had decided to stay in the morgue full time, it having something to do with a body reviving itself on the scene. Needless to say, he remained in the cooled autopsy bay while Alexx continued her field work. He just felt a little bit safer in his domain.

"I'm sure Sims has got it under control," Tim responded as he started out the door. " Well, I assume he has it under control."

"I'm going out there," Alexx began as she caught up to Tim.

Maddison stopped her, " Alexx, I need you in here. There's a priority coming in from City Hall."

Before she could protest, the room came alive with the sounds of their cells alerting them to another call out. Sighing hard, Maddison flipped her phone up and saw the address. This had been the third call out in as many hours. What was going on in Miami this morning was anybody's guess.

"Guess that's our cue," Calleigh said as she looked to Jacinda. " You going to be alright getting out?"

"Mom, I'm pregnant not fragile. I'm going to be fine. And yes, I have your cell number, and no I don't think I'm going to need an escort," Jacinda replied with hints of annoyance.

"I just don't want anything unexpected to happen is all," Calleigh said as she started to follow the rest of the team out of the door.

"Mom, everything's going to be alright, I promise."

Calleigh shot her a faint smile as she walked out the door, hoping beyond hope that she was right.

SK

Horatio looked up into the blue skies of the Miami skyline as he walked up the stone trimmed walkway towards the building. For six months, it had been his routine to come and visit her before checking in on his niece and nephew at the lab. After what went down with Jen, Horatio knew finally that he was still viable, and he began consulting with Maddison when she needed the extra help, which had become a regular occurrence with three of her team members out.

As he continued his trek up the walkway , his mind raced with what was recently going on. There had been a series of murders spread through out the city, and at first, there didn't seem to be a common link, but as the murders progressed, more information and evidence began to come about. It seemed as if there was a group out there motivated on creating havoc and mayhem by terrorizing the citizens of the city with threats of random murder. There hadn't been a clear cut motive in the killings, but with each new case, there was one thing that was certain, they were becoming bolder and bolder. The last case ,which was brought in just yesterday, was brutal in that the victim was elderly and had her neck sliced from one ear to the next. No biologicals had been found on her body, with the exception of several spots of saliva, but nothing to point to a sexual assault, and the fact that all of her belongings were still intact told him that robbery wasn't a motive. It was just a random murder, and it didn't make sense.

Seeing her as she sat on the bench, his smile appeared, all thoughts of the cases distancing themselves from him. It had been a hard six months for Jen, but she was making progress, and it seemed that she would be getting out soon. She was the picture of serenity as the wind blew through her long brown hair, and her eyes seemed clear of the pain and sorrow that had brought her here. Just as time had calmed her, time would have to pay a part in her rejoining her friends and family.

"Horatio, beautiful day , isn't it?" Jen asked as he sat next to her. She glanced to him and looked out into the horizon, watching the wind blow through the palm trees. " Beautiful."

"Jen," Horatio said as she turned to him, facing him head on. He could see that there was something bothering her, " What's the matter?"

"Dr. Smith,... he doesn't think I'm well enough yet to go home," she sighed heavily as she pulled her hair behind her ear, looking away. " I don't know what more to give, Horatio. I go to the sessions, I comply, I've stopped crying. What does he want from me?"

"Maybe he sees that there is still more to get to, Jen. You know , you can't rush things like this. It's going to take time."

"Horatio, if I don't get out of here , I'm going to go crazy," Jen responded with a small smirk. They both shared a laugh as she got retained herself , looking at him steadily, " No, but really, Horatio, I think I'm ready."

"Well, let's just see what the doctor says, Jen. Like, I said..." Horatio said as his cell phone began to ring. Jen let a rush of air out of her lungs, glancing down at the contraption with a longing. She did miss the job, just not the emotional state she had been in. Watching him talk on the phone, she played absently with the hem of her shorts, wondering if she would ever be alright to rejoin the ranks of the crime lab. The emotional fall out from RJ's death still haunted her at times, but she was working hard on keeping that part of herself controlled, it wouldn't do for an emotionally unstable CSI to be out in the field with a gun.

Horatio flipped the phone down, and raised his head , slightly as she gave him a small smile, "You have to go?"

" Yeah, I've gotta go. I'll come back this afternoon. What time is Dr. Smith going to see you?"

"Some time between the hours of ten and four. It sounds like he's coming in to hook me up with some cable, doesn't it?" Jen laughed . Horatio chuckled along with her and placed his hand on hers, giving her a squeeze.

"Jen, everything is going to be alright. Don't worry."

"I'm going to take your word for it," she replied as she reached to give him a hug. " Thanks."

"No problem. So, are you going back in, or going to take in the sun more?"

"I think I'm going to stay here," she returned , folding her legs beneath her as Horatio got up.

"Alright," Horatio said softly, giving her one last faded smile.

"Horatio?"

"Yes, Jen?"

"Tell my Mom and Dad I said hi."

"I will, Jen. Have a good day, and I will be back."

Jen nodded and waved as he took his leave. Watching him walk back up the stoned walk way, she let a sigh out and let a small smile appear. Horatio Caine had saved her life, and she was thankful in many ways.

TBC...

A/N: I know its been a while, but it hit me. Let me know what you guys think... Should I continue?


	2. Chapter 2

The New Recruits: Suicide Kings

Chapter Two

Tim took a pensive look around the scene, seeing Jarrett as he bent over the first of four bodies that had been found out in the open on the Pier. The tape covered just about the entire pier, a uniform standing at each end. The area between the first uniform and the second was the scope of his crime scene. Max came behind him, as he pulled the tape up and walked under, his sunglasses perched atop his face, hiding the feeling of sadness that crept up suddenly on him. It was times like these, the blue skies and the wind blowing softly, that he missed his son dearly. Although it had been getting better, there was still no consolation for his absence.

"It's too damn hot out here," Max said as he walked behind him, trying to keep up. " How the hell can you wear a long sleeved shirt in this?"

"Many years of practice," Tim responded adroitly. The ride to the scene had been less than stellar, with the loud music and Max's repulsive driving. " The quicker we get this done, the quicker you can get back to the air."

Max shrugged and walked forward, passing him and coming to the bodies. Jarrett looked up at him through his glasses, and then back down, concentrating on the task before him. Max smirked at the Medical Examiner and shook his head as he pulled his glasses up on his head, kneeling down.

" Four dead fishies, in the heat of summer, what a pleasant aroma."

" Interested in the TOD or are you going to pose and spout sarcastic lines?" Jarrett asked irritably. He too was pretty much pissed at the heat. Tim smirked as he went to the second body, noticing the small amounts of dust on the clothing. " It seems that they all worked on the pier. The dust is from the warehouses, I'm thinking. That one has a laceration on his throat, from ear to ear, along with several defensive wounds. This one, well, this one," Jarrett paused, " this one was fileted."

"Fileted?" Max asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Have you ever seen a fish gutted?" Tim asked, his phone vibrating on his side.

" Plenty of times, why?"

Jarrett lifted the clothes off of the body slightly, showing a jagged tear from the throat to the top of the waist line and one across the belly, " Sliced him open. The other two have several stabbing wounds, maybe fifteen to be exact. I can get you a definite number at the post."

"You said something about time of death?" Tim asked, ignoring the phone. It would have to wait.

"Liver temp on this guy is impossible,"Jarret gestured.

"Why?" Max asked as he looked away.

" Because the liver is missing. Killer must've taken it."

"What about the other three?" Tim followed.

"The guy with the neck tie was at 86.6, but taking in consideration that it's hotter than hell out here, this is a moot point. I can ball park it around midnight last night. Then there is this guy," Jarett said as he got up, walking towards one of the stabbing victims, " His temperature was at 92.1 which is almost impossible."

"Why?" Max echoed again.

" Because, the heat slows the cooling of the body temperature," Tim said as he got a better look at the body, noticing it's hand was closed tightly. " And it says that he was just killed almost four hours ago, but the clotting says otherwise. This isn't making any sense. How could this be looked over? The pier is active during the early morning hours, right?"

"Sounds like a question to ask the harbor master," Max intoned as he rose up off of his haunches. "I'll get into it."

"What's the matter, Max, too much red for you?" Tim asked, with a grin as his phone vibrated again.

"Just need to get some air," Max returned. " I'll be with the harbor master and looking around the perimeter. Do you think that Maddison will be able to send more help?"

"I don't think so, Max. It's just us."

"Fantastic, well, you know where I'm at. Join me at your conveience."

Jarett shook his head and returned to his work , "I'll get with you on the findings , Tim. Whatever trace I can get I'll send it."

"Thanks, Jarrett," Tim sighed as he turned away from the bodies, the phone vibrating once more. "Jarrett, I gotta take this," he intoned flatly as he filled his hands with the phone. It wasn't enough that he had four bodies to contend with, along with the heat, now it seemed that someone wanted to annoy him even further. "Speed."

"Well, Tim, I know it's been awhile, but no need to get gruff,"a familiar accented voice returned. Tim almost dropped the phone , instantly recognizing her voice, "Robin? I-is that you?"

"Yes, and we are at the airport. Are you busy at the moment?"

"I'm in the middle of a scene, but..."

"No, no , Tim, I won't bother you."

"It's no bother, Robin. Honestly..."

"Tim, finish your work. I have to check in to the hotel anyway. I just wanted to let you know that we are in town. We need to talk."

Tim closed his eyes, the slight feeling of elation coming over him. It had been almost a year since Robert's death and their conversations had been nothing more than hello and goodbye. He wanted to give Robin all the space she needed to grieve, but he longed for her touch, her love as well as his daughter. At one point, divorce had been put on the table, but then he heard no follow up from her. The situation was in limbo, that was until now.

" I can get a break," Tim responded as he turned to glance back at the scene, " I think."

"There's no rush, Timothy. We will be here for a while. Mallory was missing all of her friends, and since she's on holiday from school, I saw no reason why we couldn't come back," Robin answered. There was a hint of something in her voice, but Tim couldn't quite catch it. " She missed you , Tim... I missed you."

"I've missed you, Robin. You don't know how much."

"I think that I can about tell. Take your time, and call me at the Embassador, room 214."

"Okay, I'll call as soon as I can, Robin."

"Alright, Timothy. Be careful."

The moment held some heaviness as Tim struggled with whether to say it, regulating himself to respond, " I will. See you later."

He flipped the phone down, a smile coming over his face as the wind began to blow more. Within a matter of seconds, his life had started to focus once more.

SK

Horatio stood at the edge of the scene, observing the team as they worked. He waited for her to finish and approach him, her long red hair blowing behind her. He couldn't had been more proud of his niece than he was at that moment. She had grown very well into her position in the lab, handling the subsequent changes with grace. If there was anything he could say, it was that the Caine blood was strong. He glanced up to see Raymond as he worked the scene, talking with witnesses, turning to see him and giving a slight nod. Despite the time that had passed, Horatio still felt somewhat responsible for Yelina's death.

"He's doing alright, Horatio," Maddison said as she pulled her sunglasses on top of her hair, revealing her blue eyes. " Some days it's bad, but for the most part , he is coping well."

" That's glad to hear," Horatio responded softly. As much as he wanted to approach him, he just felt like he had no ground to stand on.

"Horatio, he understands," Maddison provided, looking at him with soft eyes.

"So, what do you have?" Horatio remarked ,trying to distance himself from the conversation, as he started towards the scene, seeing Alexx as she bent over the body.

"Well, it seems that we have more slashing victims , four. If I didn't know better, Horatio, I'd say we have a serial killer in our midst."

" What is the evidence telling you, Maddison?"

" Well, just like the others, one is opened up from the neck down and one is slit on the throat, from left to right, ear to ear, and the others are stabbed. Oh, and this is a bonus, Alexx says that this time, the one that was opened up is missing it's heart."

"The last two were livers, right?" Horatio asked , standing above Alexx as she worked on one body. The other three were covered with sheets until she could get to them.

"Yes, it seems as if the killer is getting antsy. He's changing up,"Alexx reported. " The more I see of these, the more I can see the progression. On the first victims, there is hesitation, but now, the line is smooth."

"Like he is getting comfortable," Maddison added.

"Exactly. What's getting me though is the taking of the organs. Why would he do that? The organs aren't viable for prolonged periods outside the body. What's his motive?"

"That... that is a good question, Alexx," Horatio said as he knelt down, peering at the fist of the victim. " Say, Alexx, what is that?"

Alexx looked up at him then back to the hand, as if surprised by the new found evidence, picking it up gently with a pair of tweezers " I don't know. It looks like a piece of a card of some sort. There's red lettering."

"Bag it for trace, if you would , Alexx," Maddison instructed just as her phone rang. A second later, Horatio's phone went off , followed by Alexx's. "What is going on?"

"I've got another scene," Alexx responded as she put her two way down. " Maddison, there's no way in the world I can get to that scene , and unless Jarrett is done with his, I think you are a Medical Examiner short."

Maddison looked to Horatio as he flipped his phone back down. It seemed as Miami was having a run on murders today.

SK

He closed the door behind him, sure that he wasn't followed. Throwing his bag down, he walked to the refrigerator and snatched it open, grabbing the first thing his hands found which was a bottled water . After draining it, he walked through the home, as if searching for something that was well hidden. His eyes swept past the vast living room, and across to the dining room a horrendous thought coming to his mind. What if someone heard him?

_Well, they would find a blade sticking out of their neck, that's what, _he thought to himself. He continued to walk silently, until he got to the library, and opened the door to see him sitting at the desk, his feet up a trail of smoke coming from the cigar in his mouth. A maniacal smile graced his face as he pulled himself into a straight sitting position and clasped his hands together tightly. He looked at the man and gestured for him to come closer, and he walked forward, taking a look to the side, seeing the maid as she laid on the floor, her eyes open and a nasty gash on her neck.

"That will explain why no one came to the door," the man quipped as he sat down in front of him, a smirk riding his face.

"She met me first," the other responded as the door opened again. They both looked up to see a tall man with short brown hair and piercing hazel eyes as he walked in, fluidly. The easy gait coupled with his stature gave testament that he was no one to be fooled with. He glanced to the woman on the floor and shook his head then turned his attention to the other two men.

"I see I missed some fun," the tall one said with a sneer. " Is she all?"

"There are two more upstairs. They didn't give much of a fight. I think I may have surprised them," the one behind the desk responded with a chuckle. "Oops."

" Ah, the element of surprise, gentlemen is what is giving us our success. The cops are running all over the city with our work. They don't know which is up or down."

"Looks like we are going to have the run of the city, Mason. Any plans for that glorious day?" the one behind the desk asked as he got up, coming around the desk, facing his friends. " Trevor and I spilt up for the last two. He just got through with the ones at the pier."

" Those were hard," Trevor responded as he slipped off his gloves and tossed them to the desk haphazardly, " I say we have a night of rest. What do you think, Perry?"

" Yeah, I think we've done our share of work for the moment. The cops are so far away from us, we can rest easy. It's not a bad idea, Mason. We could go out and check what's hot."

Mason thought it over and walked over to the vast window, looking out of it. He could do with some down time, considering what he had in store for the fair city of Miami.

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

The New Recruits: Suicide Kings

Chapter Three

Jacinda walked through the rows and rows of tombstones, coming to rest at a familiar one. She stood there in silence, just as she had done many times before, letting her tears speak for her. Time had passed, but it had done nothing for her loss. She felt it every time the child, his child had moved inside of her belly. It was a bitter sweet reminder that the man she loved wasn't there. The attempt to move on was there, especially where Rory Hutchinson was concerned, but there was this part of her that would always belong to Robert, and at that moment, it was that part that was making itself known.

The silence of the cemetery ate at her , the feeling of it closing around her, suffocating her and making her anxious. Never had she felt this way when coming to see him, and now ,she had to wonder why it was present . A hint of apprehension swallowed her, and she turned swiftly to see that she was alone. Trying her best to shrug it off, she placed her hand on the tombstone and saw his name on the epitaph. The pain was as real now as it was when he left her.

"Robert," she began, her voice betraying her strength, " there have been so many times where the mere thought of you has crippled me. Day in and day out, I question why. Why did I have to fall in love with you? Why did we spend just one night, one fleeting moment together, only to leave me with a broken heart and a promise of a future that you would never know? After all the tears that I've shed, I still don't know the answers to those questions, but I do know that no matter what, I still have to carry on. As much as it hurts, Robert, for the health of myself and our child, I have to learn how to let go."

Nothing but silence returned to her and she dropped her head , a tear escaping. She didn't want to let him go, but it was something that had to be done. He wasn't here, but she was, and she could no longer live in what could've been. Her decision weighed on her heavily as she leaned in, touching the cold marble , the feeling of his name etched into the stone as it was in her heart. Despite everything, she would always love him, but it was simply time to let her wounds close.

"I won't forget about you, Robert, and I will always have a little piece of you with me. For that, I thank you," she said tearfully. "I'll always love you."

With that being said, she backed away from the stone, and gazed at it for a second longer before turning to walk away. His prescence in her heart still lingered, but she continued to walk, knowing that ultimately, this was best. It was time that she begin to live once more.

SK

"So, what did Maddison want with you?" Tim asked as he stood next to Rory in the layout room. The evidence had been collected in both scenes, and they were in the extensive process of going through all of it. There wasn't much to go on other than the crime scene photos and the limited evidence that the bodies themselves yielded, but they all still had a job to do nonetheless.

"Nothing much," Rory responded as he put up the last of the photos, peering at them intensely. He really didn't want to get into his business with Tim. "Hey, notice something about the bodies on the pier?"

Tim leaned in more, noticing it as well, " The amount of blood."

"Way too little for extensive wounds like our guys had. One was gutted and the other got a necktie, and the other two..."

"Were stabbed numerous times," Tim finished, his mind going back to the scene. He had been somewhat preoccupied and silently cursed to himself for missing it.

" The scene was staged. There was no way that they could've been killed on th pier."

"Same goes for the bodies that were found at City Hall. Very limited blood present. These bodies were dumped," Tim said as he opened a file. " That would account for those weird TODs. The bodies were dumped at separate times of the night. What's the connection though?"

Rory shrugged his shoulders, staring at the board, "Insanity. I mean, they slice and dice these poor people, take their organs, and dump them where they could be found easily? What about that picture says sanity?"

" Murder is never sane," Tim remarked adroitly as his eyes lit on a piece of evidence. " This came from one of the guys at the pier. He held up a torn piece of what seemed to be a playing card. " Run this through the database and see what you can come up with, Rory."

Rory turned the laptop towards him as the evidence was being scanned. Seconds passed and the image of a playing card came up clearly on the screen. Tim walked towards the screen his eyes transfixed. It was a King of Hearts. As if a second thought hit, he turned and glanced at the pictures from the City Hall scene.

"Rory, I think we found a connection. That was found on my guys at the pier," Tim said as he pointed to the restored card on the screen. "And this was found at City Hall."

Rory narrowed his eyes at the picture, seeing plainly another red K. Typing furiously, he restored the image more, it coming up as a King of Diamonds. These scenes were connected.

"They are both Kings," Rory said with a sigh. " Someone is playing a game of suicide with us."

"And we need to catch this lunatic before the city becomes a morgue. Any idea as to where Maddison is?"

"No..," Rory began as the door swung open.

" Hey, you guys been looking at the television?" Eric asked , crossing the room effortlessly , turning on the small set in the corner.

"Sorry Delko, we haven't had the time to sit and catch up on the soaps, unlike yourself," Tim remarked with a smirk.

" Funny," Eric returned, " But you guys really need to see this."

The sounds of a reporter came back to them as her picture was focusing on her. She stood across the street from a new club that was going to open tonight, the day to day bustle of the citizens of Miami providing her with excellent background.

" _This is Erica Sykes, reporting from what could be the most anticipated opening of a night club that Miami has seen," _the reporter said as she turned slightly, " _Behind me stands Ace in the Hole, a new club that has been alive with buzz every since it's owners landed in South Beach."_

A picture of three men standing together shaking hands with the county commissioner was faded into as the reporter continued, " _The partnership of Perry Ramson, Mason James, and Trevor Norbin has yielded success in New York and Las Vegas with their wildly successful poker theme clubs. Some think that by adding Ace in the Hole to the club scene in Miami will make them Kings of the nightlife."_

Tim turned to Rory, seeing the look he had himself. This could possibly be the connection that they needed. Eric turned the television off and glanced up at the lighted board, pointing to it.

"Seems like you have your lead," Eric said as he smiled at them. He wanted to be apart of the foot work of the investigation badly, but he knew that he had to take it easy, or the possibility of going home for good loomed. " And there were no fingerprints on anything that you recovered from the pier, Speed. I'm still working on the stuff from the City Hall."

"Do you actually think three club boys slashed these people?" Rory asked, his mind replaying what the reporter had said.

" Nowadays, you never know," Tim responded. "I've got some research to do, you okay with this?"he asked Rory as he got up.

"I'm cool," Rory responded with a grin. "Nothing like a ton of work to roust the blood."

Eric laughed a little as the door opened again, this time Paula was standing there, a pleasant smile on her face.

"Tim, you have a visitor."

"A visitor?" Tim asked, his eyebrow arching.

"Yeah, you know, someone who comes to visit you," Eric quipped as Paula watched them. The years had not changed their friendship at all.

"Now, who's the one being funny?" Tim asked narrowing his sights then turning to Paula, "Important?"

"She just said that she was here to see you," Paula returned , shrugging indifferently. "She's waiting for you in the atrium."

"Okay, Paula, thanks," Tim answered as she turned to leave. His eyes then lit on Eric who was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "What?"

"She?"

"Eric,..."

"Speed, I'm speechless. I never thought you would have it in you to move on after Robin."

Tim sighed hard, " Delko."

"What? It's just that it's a big step to make and she hasn't even filed for divorce yet."

" Assuming gets you nowhere, Eric. Now, if you would excuse me," Tim said heavily as he pushed through the door. Since Robin left him, he had neither the desire or energy to even think about going out, much less to meet someone.

He walked to the atrium, his mind more focused on the case rather than the mysterious visitor. The suspect pool was small as it was, and he really didn't think that three business men from out of town would have anything to do with it. But if it was anything that this job had taught him, it was not to count on what's in front of you, but what lain underneath .

Making mental notations to the evidence that swirled around in his mind, he turned the corner, his eyes coming up from the floor to see the salt and pepper hair . His breath hitched in his throat as she turned, her brown eyes lighting up at the sight of him. For a second, Tim had lost all his bearings and an overwhelming feeling engulfed him. What he was missing had returned back to him.

She walked towards him slowly as she repositioned her purse on her shoulder, a shy smile appearing on her face. Tim let a smile of his own surface as he met her halfway, standing awkwardly in front of her. The desire to kiss her was unbearable, but the boundaries that had been put up long ago by both sides, still stood. He settled for just hearing her voice.

"Timothy," she said with a nod of her head.

"Robin," Tim responded, transfixed by her beauty. He took a tentative step towards her, only to be pushed back by an excited fourteen year old.

"Daddy ! Daddy! Daddy!" Mallory exclaimed as she took him into a monstrous hug. He held on to her, his eyes filling with tears as he glanced up to her.

"Oh Mallory," Tim whispered as he took in the months of missing her, missing them both. A single tear traveled down his cheek as he pulled her away to get a better look. " You've grown so much!"

"It's only been six months, Daddy," Mallory explained matter of fact. " You don't have a beard any more."

"No, baby, I don't. Alexx made sure of that," Tim responded with a light chuckle.

"Ooh , can I go see her?"

"I don't see why you couldn't," Tim said as he looked up at Robin for her answer. "Robin?"

" Sure, but Mallory, we aren't staying. Your father has a lot of work to do."

"Robin,..."

"Tim, I just wanted to drop by...to... to see you. I kept waiting for you to call, but you never did. We really have to talk."

"I'm in the thick of a case right now," Tim sighed. If they were appropriately staffed, he could see taking an hour or two to be with her, but time and evidence just didn't permit that. "Maybe , later I can find a moment..."

"It's alright, Timothy. As I said, we will be here for the week. I just wanted to see you. You are looking well."

" You too," Tim intoned softly, his smile becoming more prominent. " We need to reconnect, Robin."

" I agree , Tim, but we need time. Do you have time to give to us?"

The question stung him and he grimaced slightly as she glanced away at the floor. It was still obvious that she had some unresolved feelings and issues to address as well as the burden of grief that seemed to settle around her.

"Robin,... I have a case. But I promise you, we will talk."

Robin nodded her head as she turned slightly, the evidence of her tears beginning to make its way to the surface. The atmosphere had become strangled within seconds. Tim sighed heavily as he looked to his daughter, seeing hints of RJ and smiled faintly. There was nothing more he desired than to have a moment of time with them.

"I'll tell you what, let me see if I can get someone to cover me, and we can go out to dinner," Tim offered.

" This is something that we can't just resolve over dinner, Timothy. This is going to take a lot of time and effort on both of our parts," Robin stated plainly. Her brown eyes focused on him squarely, " We need to try, Tim, try to save what we have, and that is going to take more than what you are possibly willing to give. Are you able to make that sacrifice?"

" I will do anything , Robin to make this work," Tim replied seriously. "I'm trying Robin, I really am."

"I believe that you are, Tim," she replied softly as her emotions began to take over. "I'm just so confused sometimes. I want to hate you, but I realize that you didn't shoot our son. I just can't let go that he's not here anymore, and that has something to do with you."

"Robin, let's not get into that here," Tim responded as he looked around, then settling on Mallory. " Why don't you take Mallory to see Alexx and I can see if I can steal a moment , deal?"

Robin nodded silently, turning towards the desk sergeant. He released Mallory so that she could join her mother and turned away, walking quickly in search of Maddison. The urgency of what lain in front of him fueled him. He had to make this right.

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

The New Recruits: Suicide Kings

Chapter 4

Horatio stood at the door to the layout room, his hand poised on the handle, gathering his thoughts. He had been consulting with Maddison for almost six months, but as always, he felt as if it hadn't been enough. His feelings of inadequacy were compounded by the overwhelming guilt that he still held . It would never be enough.

He glanced up to see Raymond as he talked with Calleigh, seeing for himself, the grief that still surrounded him. The slumped shoulders coupled with his slightly erratic movements and hollowed out eyes told the story of where Raymond had been since his mother's death, and most likely where he still had to tread. Horatio sighed deeply as he watched the conversation continue, his own grief trying to burst forth. The normal reaction for him would've been to open the door and keep moving, but something was keeping him there for the moment. He realized some time ago that his reaction to the deaths of his closest friends could've been better, but it was what it was, and now was his chance to mend broken fences.

Raymond continued to talk to Calleigh, his attention slowly being altered at the sense of urgency that rose in him. Looking up, he saw his uncle standing at the layout room doors, his eyes firmly fixed on them. The mere fact that he hadn't fled into the comfort and security of his world made it apparent that his chance at talking with him had risen. Once before, he tried to talk to Horatio, but his uncle had disappeared, leaving him to navigate himself through the infancy of his grief. That wouldn't happen again; this talk would happen today, it would happen now.

Parting with Calleigh, he turned his full attention to him, seeing his gaze drop suddenly. Raymond knew at that moment that he had to make his move before Horatio had a chance to retreat into the layout room, evading the evitable. The air had to be cleared, and now was the time.

"Horatio,"Raymond called as he quickened his step. For so long he wanted to sit and talk to his uncle, but the time wasn't right for either of them. Raymond recognized the power of his grief and knew that if he had spoken to him, he would've most more than likely blamed him for everything, but that was farther from the truth. True, his uncle was the target in Clavo's revenge, and everyone around him was considered collateral damage, but ultimately, Raymond knew that Horatio wasn't the faulty party. A mad man with a chip on his shoulder and a taste for retribution had taken his mother from him. With that revelation came understanding, and eventually , came something of forgiveness. Peace for him would be a road still left to travel , but he figured that if he could make a connection with his uncle, then that road would be somewhat easier to negotiate. Coming to rest next to him, he could feel the debilitating guilt that wafted off of him and let out a deep sigh, " You have time to talk?"

" I've got something going on, but I can make the time," Horatio responded, the hesitancy audible in his voice. He dared not to lift his gaze, only keeping it focused on the layout room. " Give me a second?"

"Sure, I'm off duty. Take your time," Raymond returned as he shifted his weight. " Meet you in the atrium? Maybe we can go for a drink or something?"

" Yeah," Horatio smiled slightly. " Just a minute."

Raymond nodded in acknowledgment as he watched him walk into the room, a feeling of release coming over him. For six months he was holding in what he had to say, and tonight, it would finally surface.

SK

Tim walked through the halls of the lab, his intent on finding Maddison. The meeting with Robin in the atrium filled him with hope, but he knew that it was premature. Even though she was here in Miami, it didn't necessarily mean that she was coming back to him. It was heartening to hear, however, that he was missed by her, but he could still see something that resided deeply inside of her. His goal was to get her talking at least, then he could worry about the rest. Rounding the corner, he ran into Alexx as she was turning the corner as well, her files floating to the ground at contact.

Alexx, surprised by his prescence, stood for a second , then bent down to retrieve the paper, " So, where's the fire, Tim?"

"Sorry, Alexx. There's just something that I have to see about. Have you seen Maddison anywhere?" Tim replied as he bent to help her.

" No, I was looking for her as well to get her to sign off on the evidence cards on our latest victims. I would think that you would be putting in some over time on this."

"I am, I just needed to see Maddison to see if she could spare me for a couple of hours," Tim answered as he handed her the file intact. " I've got business to attend to."

"Business?" Alexx asked with an arched eyebrow.

"It's nothing like that, Alexx. Robin came back today, and I was thinking of having dinner with her. It's time to establish some re-connection."

"Amen to that, Tim. So , when did she get in?"

" This afternoon while I was at the pier. She said that she was in town on vacation, she and Mallory are going to be here for only a week. It figures the city would be at the mercy of a serial killer just when I have the chance to get back in the good graces of my wife," Tim quipped, the sarcasm heavy.

" I have to wonder why it took her six months," Alexx retorted absently. She then looked up to see Tim staring at her in disbelief and she shrugged her shoulders, " Hey, sometimes love needs a helping hand."

"Alexx..."

" Oh, get over it ,Timmy. You are going to stand there and tell me that you were going to be the first to realize that a mistake had been made, and call her?"

" I would've... eventually," Tim responded, shifting his weight. He then glanced at his watch, remembering that Robin was still in the atrium waiting for him. " But can we get into this later? I want to find Maddison."

Alexx looked up to see the red haired Lieutenant as she entered the corridor, " Well, there's Maddison. Let me know how it goes?"

" I'm sure you will find out , in your own little way, Alexx," Tim responded with a slight smirk. " Gotta go."

Alexx smiled as she watched him approach Maddison with a hopeful heart; Robin and Tim had to get back together. They belonged with each other. She waited until Tim had finished with Maddison, obviously getting the go ahead to take a dinner break, and then approached her with her items. After she gathered the signatures, Alexx returned to her domain to continue on. There was still work to be done.

SK

Robin glanced at her watch again, the distinct feeling of walking out of the door coming over her. It wasn't as if she had something important to do, but she was beginning to grow impatient . Her main goal was to come back to Miami to talk, and it seemed as if Tim was putting up walls as usual. _He's trying_, a thought came to her as she sighed heavily, looking towards Mallory, _Are you?_

"I want to," she spoke aloud as she saw him appear off of the elevator, a nervous smile coming over him. She pulled a smile of her own up as he reached her and nodded.

"So, are you ready?" he asked, standing apart from her. " I have an idea of where we can go."

"I know what you are thinking, Timothy, and we don't have to go there. We are going to talk," Robin answered quickly, knowing exactly where he wanted to take them. Since RJ had been gone, she wanted no reminders of what was.

"I want to take you somewhere nice, Robin. I haven't seen you or Mallory in six months. Can I do that?"

Robin looked in his eyes to see the sincerity in them, her resolve weakening somewhat and sighed lightly, " I suppose so, but this is Dutch . There's no need for you to pay for me or Mallory."

"Robin, you are my wife,..."

"Tim, it's this way or no way," Robin returned , her voice steady and her eyes set in a stare with his.

Tim shook his head, realizing now that if he wanted his family back, he was going to have to fight to get them. Pulling out his keys, he gestured to the garage, " Okay, alright, you can pay. You trust my driving or are you going to follow?"

"We can ride with you, Tim. If that's not a problem."

"None at all."

Robin waved to Mallory as she looked up from her conversation with Paula and came quickly to her parents side. She smiled at her father as they began to make their way out of the lab, taking his hand in hers. For a moment, it felt as if they were whole again, and she liked it. It was something that she had been missing since losing her brother.

SK

Jen gazed out of her window, watching the sun set on another day, her mind centered on her appointment with the doctor. It went well, but she knew that it could've been better. What mattered was that he thought that she was making good progress, but the doctor felt like she needed just a little more time here. Sighing heavily, she ultimately knew that he was right, but longed to go home, to see her friends and family.

When she had her fill of the sun setting, she closed her window, and wrapped her robe tightly around her. There was nothing left to do, but get in bed and let sleep take her over. It was obvious that Horatio wasn't coming back tonight ; he knew that visiting hours were over at eight, and it was seven forty-five. Sighing, she crossed the bedroom slowly, taking a second to look at the pictures of her family, the hurt of having minimal contact with them chasing her. It had been her wishes to limit her visits with them, not wanting them to see her in this manner. A sort of fear of disappointment fueled her decision, but thankfully, they abided by it. There were things that she had to sort out for herself before she could face them fully again, and she truly wanted to be whole when she did. But, she could tell when they did come, that this was taking a lot out of her tight knit family, her parents especially, and that was exactly what she didn't want. Again, she was taking away from them.

Sitting on her bed, she pulled her knees to her chest, not really wanting to go to sleep. There was so much that she had to work through, her feelings about RJ and her fears of hurting those she loved as well as herself. Her mental stability had improved vastly since coming to the facility, but she realized that it was predicated on whether she could fully deal with RJ being gone. Until she could do that, she couldn't trust herself.

"So, what are you waiting for , Jen?" she said aloud to herself as she heard a knock at her door. Getting up she pulled the robe about her tightly, wondering just who this was this close to the end of visiting hours. She heard the keys as they connected with the lock, and stood silently, watching the door open. An audible gasp came from her as she took in the sight of her mother and father along with her doctor. Without another thought, she came closer taking them in a huge embrace, the tears starting to form behind her lids. It had been almost a month since she last saw them. "Mom, Dad? What are you doing here?"

Eric pulled away from her, his eyes set in an sad expression, his voice slightly audible, " We have to have a reason to visit you?"

"No, I- I just mean, it's almost the end of visiting hours, and you guys weren't scheduled to come and see me for another week. It's just a surprise is all."

" Are you okay with this?" Maxine asked, the worry becoming visible in her eyes. " We can leave if it's uncomfortable."

"No, Mom, it's alright. We can go to the tv room," Jen answered as she looked around her room. " I hardly think you want to stay in here."

" I want to," Eric interjected as he looked to his daughter then to the doctor, " that is if it's alright with you."

"I see no problem with it," the doctor retorted with a small smile. " I think it's time for a little progression. Sort of like reacquainting with each other. I normally am a stickler for the rules, but in this case, I think I can waive the eight o'clock cut off time. I will ask that the door remain open, and if you need any help, an orderly will be outside."

The trio nodded silently, the specter of why she was here in the first place hanging over them. The doctor made his departure as Maxine walked around the room, seeing a half knitted afghan draped over the recliner and a stack of books on her desk, one opened to the page she was on. Maxine smiled faintly at the hints, reminding her that her daughter was still there, amid the hollowness of the room that she resided in. Never could she imagine her child going through what Jen had, she never even contemplated that there was something going on with her and in that, she realized that she had failed her daughter.

Eric put a hand on her Jen's shoulder and offered her a warm smile, his feelings not much different from Maxine's. He should've seen that there was something long before he actually did, and his failure to do so could've had serious ramifications. He couldn't have thanked Horatio more for being there for his daughter.

"So, Jen, how have you been doing?"

"Better. Some days are better than others , but I'm still working on it. How are you feeling?" Jen asked, remembering when Horatio had told her about the heart attack. At the time, it was just another thing that she was to blame for.

"Oh, I'm fine. I just started back to work today. Can you believe that there's a serial killer on the loose in Miami? On my first day , no less," Eric said , his smile becoming bigger. Jen just nodded and kept her eyes on him. Her interest didn't lie with in the job at the moment. To tell the truth, she really had no interest. Eric responded quickly to her silence by continuing on breaking the intensity of the moment, "So, we spoke with your doctor briefly, he says that you are progressing nicely."

"Yeah," Jen responded absently as she glanced to her mother who had sat in the recliner, eyeing the afghan. She could see the pain in her expression, but shook off the impending darkness that was coming over her, instead refocusing her attention on her father, "He wants me to stay longer, but I want to go home."

At that proclamation, Maxine sat up straight , her eyes wide, "Y- You want to come home?"

"Do you think you are ready?" Eric followed up.

Jen sighed as she crossed the room to her desk, looking over her pictures that sat there. It took her back to a time where everything was fine, every one was happy. RJ was alive. Fighting against the tears that threatened, she shook her head and stared at one picture. The unity that was in that picture strengthened her, looking into the faces of every one of her friends and family. A small smile appeared as she picked it up, her fingers ghosting over RJ's face. Her moment of realization had come. It would be a battle, possibly one for the rest of her life, but she wanted to fight outside of these walls. She wanted to reclaim her life back, despite the sadness that crept inside of her. This time , she wouldn't seek a way to end it, rather a way to work through it.

"I am ready," Jen answered with determination. "Now, I just have to let the doctor see that I'm ready. I have been refusing to take meds , but if I take that step it will show him that I'm serious about this, that I'm trying. That has to count for something, right?"

"It does," Eric replied as he came to her. She turned to face him, seeing for the first time, through her eyes, his acceptance. "We want you back, Jen. We realize that's it's not going to be a bed of roses for you, but we will try to be there for you, as much or as little as you need us to be."

"I miss you," Maxine added softly as she got up from the chair, joining them. " Come back home, Jennifer."

Jen nodded quickly as her tears blazed a trail down her cheeks, embracing her. A second later, she felt warmth and strength from her father as he enveloped the both of them, solidifying their bond even more. From that moment on, Jen knew that she could do this.

t

The silence was driving him crazy. He kept his eyes on the road, practically feeling the tension that rolled off of her, turning to see her deep in thought. _What was she thinking? _Tim asked himself as he retained his attention on the road. There was only one thought running through his mind at the moment ,and that was how to connect with her once more, how to reach the island that she had condemned herself to in the wake of their son's death. Releasing a controlled breath, he made the turn into the parking lot of the restaurant and easily found a space. They were getting nowhere like this, but Tim was determined to let Robin navigate this complicated path back to each other.

Slipping the keys out of the ignition, her turned to her, his eyes heavy with expectation, "Robin..."

"Tim, let's get in the restaurant first," Robin stated quickly, opening the door and getting out, leaving Tim speechless.

Mallory rolled her eyes and shook her head as she moved to get out"And you call me stubborn?"

Tim smiled faintly as he followed suit, getting out of the car. Robin stood , poised to walk on, but instead, choosing to wait for them to join her. Mallory moved swiftly to the outside, allowing Tim to come closer to Robin. A nervous smile ran across Robin's face as they reached the door, the hesitancy strong in her eyes. She had no idea what steps to take in this, and the loss of control was playing havoc on her. Tim opened the door and gestured for them to walk through and she caught a hint of his cologne, memories from what seemed like a lifetime ago, chasing her. How could she let twenty five years of marriage come down to delicate niceties?

After sitting for a moment in silence, Mallory shifted her gaze between her parents, realizing that neither of them were going to make the first attempt at opening a dialogue that would hopefully heal the wounds that were left open by their loss.

"So, Dad, how's Jacinda doing?" Mallory spoke up nonchalantly as she eyed her menu. A thousand memories flooded her of this place, it being one of RJ's favorites. Many happy moments happened here and she smiled faintly as she lifted her eyes to her parents.

"She's doing fine. You are going to be an aunt soon," Tim replied as he saw Robin's already weak smile fade into a stricken expression.

"Wow, I still can't believe that I'm going to be an aunt at fourteen. That blows my mind. Thank you RJ," Mallory quipped with a smirk.

At the mention of his name, Robin shot Mallory a stern look and Mallory retracted some, sitting back in her seat. Tim shifted in his seat at the new found tension building at the table, seeing the anger rising in Mallory's face. He could readily observe that Robin hadn't fully dealt with losing RJ. Her reaction to the mention of his name spoke volumes.

"Robin, you have to try and let go," Tim spoke softly as he reached for her hand. " I know it's been hard, because I have gone through it, and still am going through it, but Robin, you can't let this eat at you."

"I can't let him go that easily, Timothy. It's only been seven months," Robin responded , taking her hand away from him. " I just can't see moving from this."

"But you have to, Robin. You have to keep moving. Do you think that Robert would've wanted you to do this to yourself. To miss out on his son's life?"

"A son?" Robin asked, her head coming up quickly. She looked to Tim, her eyes welling up with a pool of tears, a pool that had seemed endless since losing RJ, and leaned in, " He has a son?"

"Yes, Robin. She found out it was a boy almost four months ago. But the point is, that our son will live on in him. If you deny yourself a chance to move on, to heal, you run the risk on missing everything. You don't want to do that do you?"

Robin again dropped her gaze, the tears dropping like rain drops on her napkin as she nervously pulled at the cloth. Of course she wanted to be there for Robert's child, but the pain of her loss was holding her in bondage. The most important thing to her now was keeping her memories of him alive. That was all she had left of him. Tim again reached out to her, grabbing her hand and pulling it closer to him. The intense need to break through to her taking over him. In order for them to move on properly, they had to have that solidarity between them, and he was determined to get them there.

While they were eating, Tim's cell rang and he threw an apologetic smile towards Robin. As much as he wanted to stay and continue to reconnect , he knew he had to get back to work. Robin was , somewhat understanding, but ultimately knew that Tim still had a job to do. With a heavy heart, Tim dropped them off at their car in front of the lab and then parked his in the garage. The time that he had spent with them gave him hope, but there was still more ground to cover if he wanted them back.

Tim met Rory in the corridor as he was walking towards the garage, his kit in hand. From his demeanor it could only have meant one thing. There was another call out. Tim breathed in deeply, looking at his watch. In truth, he had only been gone for an hour, and there was still more work to be done on the other cases . He couldn't fathom starting on another.

" Where's the fire?" Tim asked as he saw others on the second shift as they began to fill the corridor.

" A call out in the Gables. Maddison asked me to help out the second shift. You coming?"

"Nah, I think I need to get back to work on the cases that are in front of me. Did you get anywhere with it?"

" No, just waiting on identification of the victims. Besides that , we have nothing. Not much was left as far as physical evidence on any of them with the exception of a blood drop found at the court house. That is in DNA."

"Well, I'll be in trace when you get back. There has to be something missing."

" Yeah, how about motive and suspects?" Rory asked as he started moving again.

" That would help," Tim returned as he turned to walk towards the elevators. "Take it easy out there , Rory."

Rory nodded and walked away, a smile on his face. The months since joining had been about proving how much he could blend in, now he was apart of the team seamlessly. Tim watched for a second as Rory disappeared into the garage and turned back around just in time to see the elevator open. As he entered , his cell rang.

"Speed," he answered quickly.

" How was dinner?" Alexx asked, her tone light.

"Just fine, Alexx. Is that the only thing you called about?"

" Would I do that? I think I've found the motive if you are interested," Alexx returned flippantly.

" Of course, I'll be right down," Tim responded as he depressed the button for the morgue. Finally , a lead.

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

The New Recruits: Suicide Kings

Chapter 5

Horatio studied the cup that was in front of him, trying gather his thoughts. Beside him, sitting with the exact same cup, was Raymond, his eyes searching his uncle. For so long, he had wanted this, now that it was happening, he didn't know how to follow through. His main goal was to make Horatio understand that his mother's death, although predicated on Horatio, was not his fault, but he could see from the older man's drawn expression, it was going to take more than a few simple words to convince him. He had to try though.

The bar at which they sat was fairly deserted, as well as the rest of the establishment; Raymond knew that this was Horatio's intention when he told him that he could pick the place. It was a far cry from what he was used to , but it would do for the moment. The situation called for the anonymous solitude that cloaked the place. Raymond took a sip of his coffee and then set the cup down, his eyes watching the liquid settle in the cup. This could go on for hours, the silence between them, but Raymond was anxious to clear the air.

"Uncle Horatio," he began as he continued to eye the cup, " I think it's time that you heard this from me." Horatio made eye contact briefly before returning his gaze to his coffee, revealing to Raymond the debilitating guilt that festered inside of him. Raymond sighed heavily and turned his body towards Horatio, " You can't possibly blame yourself for Mom, or even RJ. You didn't pull the trigger."

"I might as well have. RJ and... and Yelina are gone because of me. Because they were associated with me, and some lunatic chose to use them against me."

"RJ died, trying to save you ,Horatio. He was doing his job, a job in which he knew what was possibly awaiting him everyday he stepped foot out his door. A job that he was exposed to through his father and you. You inspired him, Horatio."

"I got him killed," Horatio returned rather plainly, the images of that night playing in his mind. "There had to be something that I could've done."

"There was nothing that could be done, Horatio. RJ's fate played out the way it was supposed to. My mother... my mother's fate was the same. It was simply time for her to go, and I've come to some kind of terms with that."

"So, you are at peace with this?" Horatio asked , lifting his gaze to meet Raymond's once more.

"I still have a road to travel, Horatio, but I realize that people die. They die everyday, and the only thing that changes is the way they die. Sure, I would've loved to had more time with mom, but death is death. Whether she was killed by some maniac's bullet or died in her sleep, she still would've been gone. No one can predict when or even how they are going to leave this earth. As much as you think this to be your fault, Uncle H, it's not. It's natural selection at it's finest. God chose Mom and RJ that day."

"Even though my name was at the top of that list," Horatio offered as he took a drink from the cup. Talking had loosened him somewhat and he relaxed more.

"They finished whatever it was they had to do here, Horatio. Apparently, you haven't. So, walk from this knowing that you still have work to do. Someone out there needs the guidance of Horatio Caine. That should be something that inspires you," Raymond quipped with a small smile before drowning his cup. After a moment, he continued his thought, " Horatio, I don't blame you for my pain or my loss, that blame is at someone else's feet, and he is paying for it. Justice has been done. It took me a while to finally see that, but I have. I just want it back to where it was before. I want the sense of family back."

Horatio nodded his head in agreement , his thoughts suddenly turning to Jen. He was supposed to have gone back to see her. Glancing at his watch, he noticed that it was a quarter to nine. Visiting hours had been over for over an hour. Silently cursing to himself, he pulled his cell out of his pocket, readying to call her with his apologies , when the contraption came to life in his hand.

"Caine," Horatio answered as he glanced to Raymond, who was in the process of answering his cell as well.

"Horatio, it's Maddison. There's a call out to the Glades. Multiple bodies," Maddison breathed out, " I think it's a connection to our cases."

"How can you be so sure?" Horatio asked, seeing Raymond pulling his wallet out to pay for the coffee while holding his cell between his ear and shoulder.

"When you get here, I'll show you."

"I'm on my way," Horatio answered swiftly. He closed the phone down at the precise moment as Raymond and arched his eyebrow, " Goin' my way?"

"If you are going to the beach. A DB was just called in near Collins."

"The Gables, multiple vics," Horatio said as he pulled his wallet out, paying for the coffee. " It's on me, no arguments."

Raymond smiled lightly, seeing a break in the foundation of his guilt. He would be foolish to think that it would disappear at this one discussion; he suspected that Horatio would hold some semblance of guilt inside of him for a time to come. At the very least, he hoped, it wouldn't overwhelm him as it had in the past.

"What's up with this city today? The morgue is starting to overflow," Raymond stated in disgust as they made it to the doors of the bar. "Miami's streets are becoming a blood bath. Eight vics today, one on Collins, God knows how many at the Gables. What are we looking at here?"

"It may be random, Raymond or it may be connected. It's our job to find out and stop it," Horatio responded with his familiar strength.

Raymond grinned heavily at the appearance of a long forgotten part of his uncle as it reemerged. It was that same part of his uncle that inspired him to turn to law enforcement, a move that he never regretted.

"Sounds to me like you are back on the job," Raymond chided lightly, pushing through the doors. Stepping out into the humidity of the Miami air, his eyes fell on his coal black Charger as it sat next to Horatio's Hummer. Both vehicles exuded the strength and power that the men both shared.

"Bad habits die hard," Horatio answered as they reached their vehicles. The talk had lifted some of the guilt and he felt somewhat comfortable in his own skin. He could only thank the strength and bravery of Yelina that flowed through his nephew's blood, knowing that it was what had fueled him to confront Horatio. Caines never left words unsaid. " Be careful out there, Raymond."

"You too, Horatio," Raymond returned getting in. He started the car and turned it towards the bright lights of Collins Avenue, seeing Horatio's tail lights disappear into the distance behind him. Relief had finally found them both.

SK

Trevor looked into the mass of bodies on the dance floor, his eyes glazed over in delight. The opening of their newest club was a success. Bobbing his head slightly in time with the music, he continued to eye the crowd, seeing all the beautiful people of Miami as they succumbed themselves to the atmosphere of something new. He could see the inhibitions of the young crowd waning, their tantric movements taunting him. Despite the agreement to rest for the night, he was still on watch for prospects. Their little game with the cops had jump started his adrenaline once more. The mere fact that they had no clue as to what was going on in their fair city made him want to continue; it was fun to see incompetence at it's fullest.

The door opened and he turned slightly to see his partners walk in the suite that over looked the dance floor, wide smiles on their faces as well. Mason and Perry were the brains of the operation, Trevor made it happen. They joined him at the panoramic windows, both of them slipping their hands in their pockets and silently looking over their seemingly profitable venture.

"Well, boys, we did it again. It's a success," Mason remarked as he kept his eyes on the scene, but mainly the ladies. His mouth salivated at the thought of having his pick of the young lovelys, knowing that once he introduced himself as partner, they would fall at his feet and offer him anything he wished. What people would do to be on the VIP list.

"Yeah, this has to be bigger than the opening in Las Vegas," Perry followed up. " It goes to show, that despite the fact of a mass murderer on the loose in Miami, these idiots will still flock."

"It's the young generation, they aren't afraid of anything," Mason responded, noticing the silence of Trevor. Immediately , he knew that his friend was on the hunt. "Trevor?"

" You see that guy at the bar?" Trevor asked as he glanced to his friends with an expression of wild disbelief. " He isn't having a good time."

" I see him," Perry said as he spotted the young dark haired man, shaking his head. Trevor had met his target. " I thought that you said you wanted to rest tonight?"

"I just can't help myself. He sticks out like a sore thumb, I mean, this club is rockin' and there he sits, alone, nursing a drink, staring out in the club. He isn't having a good time."

"So, that paints a target for you, Trevor?" Mason asked, an eyebrow arched. He could admit that the first few killings were fun , but now he was growing tired of the whole thing. Too much fun would lead to mistakes, which would lead to them being caught, and that wasn't good for business. " Rest tonight, Trevor. Tomorrow is a new day."

"He isn't having fun," Trevor responded monotone, a certain glint appearing in his eyes. Perry ignored it as did Mason, turning their backs on him. When he got like that, it was best to just leave him alone. "I'm going to talk to him."

Trevor turned swiftly and walked out the door, appearing on the floor in what seemed like seconds. Perry shook his head and clicked his tongue slightly, eyeing the young man as he poised himself to leave.

"Poor bastard. I bet he never thought he was going to die tonight."

" No one ever does, Perry," Mason returned icily. His eyes never left Trevor as he strode to the young man, reaching out to him. " Let's get prepared, Trevor seems to be in a mood tonight. Don't want any evidence lying around."

Perry moved silently to the door, his mind telling him that there had to be a stopping point. They had their fun, now it was bordering on insanity, " Do you think he will ever stop?"

" You want to ask him?" Mason asked as he saw Trevor talking to him. It was very evident in Trevor's movements that it was indeed going down tonight. Sighing , he motioned to the door. "Come on, let's get this done."

Perry followed him out of the room, his head starting to hurt. Never did he think that he would be involved in this again after New York. New York should've taught him , taught both of them, but Trevor was a hard egg to crack. Perry thought that his business partner was indeed insane, but never had the guts to tell him. Tonight, he would follow orders , then think about how to get himself out of this while he could.

SK

Max eyed the dense crowd as the bodies moved rhythmically to the pulsating base line, spotting a few prospects, ones that were surely to turn him down without batting an eye lash. It didn't make a difference to him though, what mattered was that he had made it to the opening of what could be the most successful club in Miami. As the night wore on though, Max had started to tire of the newness of the club, seeing that underneath all of the flashy exterior it was just like all of the other clubs on the strip. From his perch at the bar, he saw the cocktail waitresses , dressed in skimpy outfits made out of cards and snickered. Who still dressed their cocktail waitresses? Taking another look around, another snicker came out and shook his head at the decor of the club, the huge neon playing cards that hung from the ceiling, annoying him immensely . This club was a joke, but it seemed like he was the only one who felt that way. The other clubbers were too enthralled in the atmosphere to notice just how lame it really was.

Shrugging his shoulders, he took the last sip of his drink and got up, throwing some money on the bar, turning to leave. It was time that he got home, being that he was helping the day shift with their case load. Working with them had solidified why he stuck with the job for so long; being apart of something. His desire was to make his position there permanent, and with the prospects of Jen Delko returning slim, Max felt as if it was finally his time.

Walking towards the door, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around, meeting a man in a coal black suit, his eyes dancing with a look that he had never seen before. A smile inched its way on to the man's face as he extended his hand out. Max looked down at it , then back up to the man, taking the hand.

"Trevor Norbin," the man said politely as he shook his hand heartily, "I'm a partner in the club."

"Nice to meet you, Trevor. Max Shelton. Nice place you have here," Max lied as he plastered a smile on. His main goal was to get out of this place and never to return, hot club or not.

" Thanks, I was noticing you at the bar, you seemed less enthused about the environment. Is there something wrong with the club? Something we can do , perhaps?"

"No, there's nothing wrong with the club. Just got tired all of a sudden, and I have work in the morning you know."

"I see," Trevor responded, easily seeing that the man was lying. " If I may ask, what is it that you do? You have to keep your hand on the pulse of the community in a business like mine."

" Understandable," Max said , observing how the man stood, as if poised to jump. It made Max hesitant, but he didn't see any harm in answering the man's questions. Besides, if he answered them quickly, he could be out at his car in no time. " I'm a CSI."

"CSI?"

"I investigate crime scenes, collect evidence, you know , search for the truth."

"Oh, like on tv?" Trevor asked with a toothy smile, knowing full well what a CSI was, having run in with some in New York and Vegas as well. Miami wasn't the first place he had his fun, and if he could help it , it wouldn't be his last. " I really like those shows."

Max sighed heavily as he shook his head, " Well, what we do is quite different from what you see on those shows, but I can say that they help boost the field some."

" I can see why, they are popular, and there's one thing apparent," Trevor said as he noticed Max looking at his watch.

"Yeah, and what is that?"

" That crime is one thing that's constant."

"Sad but true, Mr. Norbin," Max said quickly, glancing again to his watch. This conversation had gone on much too long. " Listen, it's been nice and as I said, this is a great place, but I really have to be going."

"Alright," Trevor said easily as Max started to walk away. He glanced back to see Perry and Mason as they stood at the door way leading to their suite and smiled manically. Returning his focus on Max, he reached out to him, pulling something from his jacket. " Hey, let me give you a card, just in case you have some friends who are interested in checking us out. I could hook you up with VIP passes."

Max turned halfway, seeing the card as it stood between Trevor's index and middle finger. The one thing that stood out was the big red K with diamond in the corner. He took it and looked at it closely, his mind flashing on the evidence at the lab. This looked suspiciously like samples that had been found on the victim's bodies this morning. With a small smile, Max took the card and placed it in his pocket.

"Thanks, I think I may take you up on that. Have a good evening."

Trevor watched him as he walked out, and then turned to leave through a side door. Perry and Mason turned back and went the opposite way. The target had been marked.

SK

Tim opened the door to the morgue, his eyes falling on the gurneys that lined the walls of the room and the bodies that were presently on the slabs. In the span of one day, the morgue was almost to capacity, almost as if a natural disaster had occurred. There was nothing natural about murder, especially ones that were as grisly as these had been. He walked further in, his mind preoccupied on Robin and Mallory as well as Jacinda. He worried more about her as the days passed, leading to the impending birth of his grandson. There wasn't a moment he hadn't taken to make sure that she was alright, especially with the emergence of the murders. If something had happened to her or the baby, he wouldn't have been able to live with himself. Deep in thought, he didn't hear as Alexx opened the door and walked in behind him.

" We just got two more in," Alexx sighed heavily. "Good news though, it's not apart of the cases that you are working on."

"Bad news is that they are dead," Tim remarked as Alexx shook her head. " You said something about a connection?"

"Yeah, I identified the elderly lady. She's the owner of a small jazz club off of the strip the name's Victoria Roundtree ," Alexx said as she walked over to a cooler. Tim followed , his eyebrow arched not seeing the connection.

"And?"

" And this little jazz club was in the middle of a heated debate about a certain club that was being built on the Collins Avenue side. Care to take two guesses as to the club?"

"Ace in the Hole?" Tim answered as Alexx nodded, " How did you know all of this?"

" I read newspapers, and I happen to liked going to her club. It's sad though, she had been on that corner for years."

"So you are saying that whoever was affiliated with the new club did this?" Tim asked as Alexx pulled the slab out of the cooler. He looked down on the woman, the wound to her neck cleaned of all the blood . He could see the jagged yet precise cut that lead from one side of her neck to the other.

"It's worth looking at," Alexx responded sadly as she looked down as well. " She always loved the music."

"I found some things out as well," Tim spoke, the heaviness of the moment pulling at his heart. If someone could do this to an elderly , unassuming lady, then there was no stopping them. " I did some research on the three partners of the Ace in the Hole. They have a place in New York and Vegas."

" Yeah, I saw that in the newspaper as well," Alexx said , pushing the slab back in. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, it seems just about the time of the openings of the clubs, there was a rash of murders. Twenty in New York, and fifteen in Las Vegas. They remain unsolved. I looked further to see some parallels. At least seven had organs taken from them, and four were fileted," Tim reported hearing his cell phone ring at his side. He looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. There couldn't possibly be another crime scene.

" This night is never going to end," Alexx sighed , knowing what the sound meant. Seconds later, her two way blared to life. With Jarrett out in the field at the house in the Gables, this meant that she would have to take it.

Tim flipped his phone, keeping his eyes on Alexx, " Speedle."

"Speed, there's a call out on the beach near Collins," came the voice of Raymond. There was something to his tone, but Tim couldn't quite place it. Since losing his mother, Raymond hadn't been the same, and Tim understood the depth of that loss well.

"I'm on my way. Is there anything I should know?"

"Yeah, it looks like it's one of your guys, but we can't be sure until the ME comes down," Raymond responded heavily. " But the mere fact that his badge is in plain view, I can just about tell who it is."

"Who is it , Raymond?"

Silence followed as he heard the distinct sound of the waves crashing around him. His mind raced with the possibilities of it being anyone of them, but praying to any deity that would listen that it wasn't Jacinda. Even though she wasn't on duty, she still was apart of the team. A second passed before Tim heard Raymond sigh then say, " Max Shelton."

Tim drew in a harsh breath at the sound of his name. In all honestly, he was less than thrilled about Max and his ways, but he could see a little of him in the young CSI. Max was very much against type, but he was an excellent CSI, and even though he was unconventional, he got the job done. Closing his eyes and putting a hand to his forehead, he tried to gather his thoughts. One of their own had fell prey to the hunters of Miami.

"Raymond, I'm on my way."

TBC...

Author's note: Well as you may have guessed it, there will be a slight crossover with New York and Las Vegas. I hope you are enjoying thus far!


	6. Chapter 6

The New Recruits: Suicide Kings

A/N: My apologies for this being super late. I hope you enjoy getting back with it! ;)

Chapter 6

Horatio ducked under the crime scene tape and walked further into the home, seeing various officers as they milled about, attending to their tasks. At times, Horatio did miss his position as the lab, but he realized that it was time for a newer generation to make their mark. He was hesitant at first to relinquish his hold on the position, but when he saw her name on the promotion grid, it became clearer to him that his city was going to be left in capable hands. Maddison had worked hard through her past demons, defying odds that no other person could possibly identify with, but yet she persevered. He couldn't think of a better person to charge with the welfare of his beloved city.

It was with that thought that he spied her as he walked into the study, peering over the body along with Rory and Jarrett. The expression that she wore told the story of her compassion, her eyes, although, focused on the task at hand were soft with regret. He could see her determination through her slight gestures, taking in every piece of information, her brow knit with concentration. She glanced up to see him standing silently and a faint smile appeared as she rose off of her haunches. Horatio approached her, giving a slight glance to the body, then back to her. At this close proximity, he could see exactly how much this was taking a toll on her. The weariness was evident in her eyes, but most telling in her voice. The past twenty four hours had been hell.

"Glad you could make it, Horatio. This seems never ending," Maddison stated somberly as she gestured to the stairway. " There are three more upstairs."

"Anything I can do to help, Maddie. Are you alright?"

"I would be better if this just goes away, but we all know the chances of that happening, don't we?"

"Slim. He seems to be progressing," Horatio responded as he saw Rory rise and walk to the desk. "So, what do you have?"

"Maid, stabbed three times in the chest, bled out right there on the carpet. There were no defensive wounds, which tells me that she either knew the person..."

"Or she was surprised. What about the other three?"

"Pretty much the same MO, three stab wounds to the chest, although one had a deep laceration to the neck, most likely the first victim."

"To keep the noise down," Horatio said absently as he moved to the desk, watching with a keen eye as Rory swept over it with his flashlight. "How were they found?"

"The second shift maid was coming in, noticed the door unlocked and walked in , finding her. She says that she touched nothing and walked out of the house , going to the neighbors to call the police," Maddison reported, looking at Horatio as he stood stock still. It was still amazing to see this man at work.

"Any idea who the RO is?"

"Joseph Delana," Rory spoke up as he continued to eye the desk, finding a latent print. " County Commissioner and resident of Miami Dade morgue."

"He's dead?" Horatio asked as Rory looked up at him before turning back to his kit.

"He was one of the victims at the pier, the one missing the liver. It had taken Jarrett a while to identify him."

"Does he have any family?"

"A wife, but we don't know where she's at," Maddison added, "I'm having Tripp look into that."

"Good, there's already a short list of suspects," Rory stated with a smirk, "Got some prints here,...and well would you look at this, a half smoked cigarette. Mr. Delana doesn't smoke cigarettes, only Cubans. The perks of being a politician in Miami."

"That might be useful," Horatio said as he peered at the desk. "There are several hairs here , Rory."

"I see them," Rory responded , moving efficiently grabbing the ruler and placing it against the desk, taking a picture of the cigarettes and then reaching into his kit. "Looks like the desk was the jackpot."

"There's also some blood," Maddison interjected as she knelt , placing a marker of her own down. She then placed a ruler and took the picture, " I wonder... stabbers often cut themselves, this could be a major breakthrough."

"Or, it could just be anyone of the victims," Horatio mused. "Only DNA can tell us."

Horatio glanced up to see Frank walking in, hie eyes set in a stern gaze, " I think we found the wife."

"Maybe she can answer some questions for us,"Rory remarked as he stood up, the camera around his neck, "there's gotta be answers here."

"Well, you can say that,"Frank answered as he motioned for them to follow. Frank took them outside to the back yard where the body of Marlena Delana was being pulled from the bushes. "Didn't have to go very far."

Maddison sighed heavily as she watched Jarrett kneel down and begin. Who was this mad man?

/SK/

Tim looked down at Max, his eyes stinging slightly. The sight of the young CSI lying open, sickened him, and threatened to empty his stomach, but he held it in check. Now more than ever, did he need to remain in control. Alexx began to go over Max's body, pulling his shield ,that was jutting sickly out of his chest cavity, out and handing it to Tim who bagged it. The atmosphere was thick, the silence unbearable. One of their own had fallen.

"Liver temp says he's been here for almost two hours."

"COD?" Tim asked softly as he knelt beside Alexx, taking a pensive look around the scene. It was almost pristine.

"Exsangunation, I'm led to believe, but won't know for sure until I get him back," Alexx retorted with a half sigh, gazing into Max's blank eyes, then to his chest, seeing the absence of his heart. "Tim ,who could've done this?"

"A lunatic," Tim said as he exhaled harshly. Max's wounds matched the earlier victims that had been fileted. "Doesn't seem to be a lot of blood here, especially for the way it went down."

"He was dumped," Alexx answered adroitly as she continued to move about," He should be swimming in blood."

"So, there's another scene?" Tim asked winding the camera, readying to take the picture. The more he stared at Max, the more he thought of Robert.

"Yes," she whispered as she leaned over and checked Max's eyes, " Too young to die. Tim..."

"I'm fine, Alexx," Tim responded as he looked down at them. In truth, this had opened his wound. Seeing so much potential taken too soon, seeing his son ; it was almost too much to bear.

"No, Tim, I think I may have found the murder weapon," Alexx , glancing to her side. Tim aimed his mag lite down, seeing the handle of the knife as it jutted out of the sand. Alexx moved slightly , to get out of his way as Tim brought the camera up , squaring it in his sights. Quickly, he snapped the picture twice before sizing it up and then picked it up, holding it away from him, the light pouring over it. The blade was huge, more like a hunting knife, but the handle was intricate in design. Tim surmised that the knife could be a collector's item.

Putting it in an evidence bag, he sighed heavily and lifted his sights to see someone approaching. The patrol officer stopped him from entering under the tape until a badge was flashed and then let him proceed. He continued to watch as the person trudged through the sand slowly, carrying with them, a silver case. Placing the bag down, he shot a glance at Alexx as she stood and then looked back, seeing him as he came into view.

"Can I help you?" Tim asked, going over his appearance quickly.

"Mac Taylor, CSI, New York . I think we share the same interest in this case," he said as he nodded, his hands already gloved up, glancing at the body before adverting his eyes up to Tim. "Seems like our party boys are starting up again."

"Party boys?" Tim asked, with a slight nod. He noticed he hadn't introduced himself and added, "Tim Speedle, CSI , Miami Dade. Glad you made it alright. So, party boys?"

" Thanks. Yeah, Mason James. He and his two buddies had a swinging time in New York. Almost had him too," Mac said wistfully as he knelt down, taking out his own mag lite and shining it over the body.

"Almost? What happened?"

"The bastards killed one of my CSIs and walked on a technicality. I've been keeping my ear to the ground every since. He can still be tried for several of the cases still pending from his last trip to New York. Who do we have here?"

Tim swallowed hard as he glanced down at Max's body and then sighed frustratingly, "Max Shelton, twenty two, found about an hour ago by someone walking the beach."

Mac nodded as he took in the evidence baggie that held the badge, " How long was he on the team?"

"He worked the night shift for two years and then he started filling in for us about six months ago," Tim responded, feeling the deep urgency to move. "He was a good CSI."

"I'm sure he was," Mac intoned almost reticent of his own loss. His thoughts traveled back to the vacant eyes of his own CSI as he looked down at the body once more. He narrowed his eyes on the pocket, seeing something protruding, "Ah, may I?"

Alexx looked up from her preliminary report and nodded, " Sure."

Mac took a pair latex gloves from his kit and then grabbed the tweezers, pulling gently at the item. Bringing it up to his line of sight, he could plainly see the red King in the corner.

"Ace in the Hole. New night spot?" Mac asked as he looked over it once more, seeing a fingerprint mixed in with the blood.

"Just opened tonight," Tim responded as he took a look as well, grabbing a baggie and handing it to Mac. Mac slipped it in and sealed it, " This looks like some of the others that we've found on various crime scenes. They're connected."

"If it's one thing I say, everything's connected," Mac returned as he read the name on the card , again being assaulted by his memories, "Trevor Norbin. Now that is a familiar name if I ever heard one."

"_You're going down for this, Trevor," Mac said as he slammed the file on the table, the pictures spilling out. His eye caught on the autopsy photo of Sheldon and he adverted his sight to the man sitting smugly in front of him. "This is your last chance."_

"_You don't have enough on me or my boys, so why don't you stop pissing around and shake us loose..."_

"Taylor?"

Mac shook himself out of his stupor, closing his eyes tightly. For years, he had waited for his chance to catch this guy , and now, he stood at the precipice of achieving that goal. Despite the hundreds of cases that passed through his hands, this one never left his conscious ; Sheldon Hawkes' death would not be in vain.

"Sorry. What's your next move?"

"In the mood for clubbing?" Tim asked with a tiny smirk as he lifted his case up. The body haulers had loaded Max into the van and were on their way out onto the street. They had something to run with, and Tim wanted to move on it quickly.

"Suddenly, I am," Mac responded, matching the grin as he handed Tim the baggies. He was back on Norbin's trail and this time, he was going to get him.

_SK_

Jacinda stared at the television, her eyes transfixed on the pictures in front of her. Since getting home earlier, she had heard reports on and off about the bodies that were showing up on the fair streets of Miami. With their already depleted ranks, the team was running on a thin string and she knew that this latest stress was bound to break them. Placing a light hand on her belly, she sighed heavily with a pained smile, she would trade nothing for going out into the field. Well, almost nothing.

"I can't do anything until your arrival, slugger," she spoke in a soft tone, patting her stomach lovingly. The sound of the phone ringing alerted her attention to her kitchen followed by the simultaneous ringing of her door bell. Perplexed, she got up as quick as she could , wondering who was visiting her at these hours. The phone continued to ring as the door followed suit behind it, causing Jacinda to walk faster, giving out of breath by the time she reached the phone in the kitchen. Depressing the button, she made her way to the door, flicking the light switch on the wall, noticing that it didn't come on. "Shit!"

"Well, hello to you as well, sweetie. Busy?"

"Jen? Jen , is that you? How are you doing?" Jacinda asked as she pulled the blind away, wishing that she could remember to get Speed to change the light bulb. She flipped the locks, leaving only the chain on the door as she opened it, peering into the darkness.

" Yeah, I was just calling to let you know that I'm being sprung in a couple of days."

"Oh, that's... that's great," Jacinda said as his face came into view. She tried to stifle her surprise but the gasp escaped her lips anyway. " Jen, let me call you back... Jake, what are you doing here?"

"Jacinda?" Jen asked before the line went dead. Jacinda dropped the phone to her side and moved to close the door. His hand shot through the opening, prohibiting her from doing so. With her heart racing, she pushed at the door, realizing that she couldn't hold him off for long in her condition. As a odd sensation passed through her, she pushed one final time , watching the hand as it disappeared and the door slamming closed. Standing back, she tried to regain her breath and started moving towards the kitchen, remembering at the last moment that she had put her gun there earlier. The sudden sound of a loud thud against her door prompted her to move quicker, turning on the lights. She looked up on her refrigerator, not seeing the service pistol, then towards the counter tops. The sudden memory of taking it to her room to clean it earlier shot through her mind as she continued to think of what to do. There was a reason that she had broke it off with Jake Worthington. In anger she slammed her hands on the counter top, as the thud got heavier. " Oh dammit."

The door finally gave way and she could hear him as he stalked through the hall, kicking at the pieces of door that were now strewn about. Frantically, she pulled open the closest drawer, a relief coming over her that it was her utensils drawer.

_Thank god it wasn't the junk drawer_, she thought to herself quickly then chiding herself for being glib at a time like this. Her hands landed on a knife and she brought it out in front of her just as he rounded the corner. The look in his eyes reminded her of a time not so long ago when she was petrified of him. Putting the knife in front of her, she steeled her gaze as he smiled at her. She noticed the abrasions on his face as well as the insane amount of blood on him. _What the hell has he been doing?_, she thought. She trembled some as he came closer, practically inches from her face.

"Not nice, Jace," he growled.

Jacinda fought for composure as a tear slid down her cheek, the knife still clutched in her grasp. She was going to protect his baby at any costs.

Sk

Jen glanced at the phone before she replaced it on the cradle, something not feeling right to her. Usually, when she talked to Jacinda, she was nothing short of super sweet to her, but tonight, she heard something different. She had heard fear. And fear was something that Jacinda Willison just didn't do. Pulling a hair behind her ear, she turned to her parents as they stood in the middle of the rec room, waiting for her. Eric immediately noticed and came to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Jen, what is it?"

"I called Jacinda to let her know I would be getting out, and she... well, she hung up on me."

"I'm sure she didn't mean to, hon," Maxine interjected as she shot a glance to Eric. Jen was on the edge of healing, which way she chose to lean towards was solely up to her.

"You didn't hear her, Mom. She sounded scared. I'm worried," Jen replied as she started to fiddle with her shirt sleeve. "Can I make one more phone call before going back to my room?"

"I don't see why not, Jen," Eric said as he looked towards the orderly who nodded in acknowledgment.

Jen walked back to the phone and dialed the number quickly, waiting for him to pick up. If there was anyone she could trust to see to this, it was him.

"Hello?"

"Horatio, it's Jen. I think Jacinda is in trouble."

Sk

Calleigh stared at the sample on her scopes, trying to get the two to match. Rory had come back in , bringing loads of evidence from the Gables scene which had solidified the fact that she probably wouldn't see her bed tonight. It really made no never mind to her though, she'd rather be in the lab instead of at home anyway.

Pulling her head away from the scopes, she pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, giving them a chance to rest. When she opened them again, she looked to the clock that was situated above the door and silently cursed to herself. She had forgotten to call Jacinda. Again.

"You would think I'm the one who is pregnant," she said aloud as she reached for her cellJust before she depressed the button, the door opened and Rory walked through, a drawn expression on his face. She put the phone down and got up, approaching him with concern in her eyes. The exhaustion was running rampant through the team, and she could see it written all over Rory.

"Rory? Are you alright?"

"I- I'm fine," he said as he stifled a yawn. " Just got more evidence in from another scene. I swear, this night doesn't seem to end."

"I don't think it would be a problem if you went on home, Rory. The night shift is out covering..."

"And we are still knee deep in the cut club," Rory continued as he dropped the box on the table, sighing hard. He closed his eyes and brought his hand to his eyes. There was obviously something else bothering him.

"Rory, there's something else going on. It's alright, you can tell me," she coaxed .

"The scene ... "

"What about the scene? Rory..." Calleigh asked, just as her cell rang. She flirted with letting it go, but she picked it up and flipped it quickly, shooting an apologetic expression to Rory. "Duquense."

"Cal," he said almost as if he was in a hurry. "Did Rory get that evidence to you?"

"Yeah, Tim, he's right here with it. What's up?"Rory glanced up to Calleigh, his eyes widening slightly as he moved towards her more. Inadvertently, he knocked over the evidence box, sending the contents dropping to the floor. Calleigh looked to Rory, determining now more than ever, that he should go home and then bent to pick up the evidence, not really looking at it as she placed it back into the box. "Does this have anything to do with the countless others today?"

"He didn't tell you?" Tim asked, his tone now beginning to worry her. She shot another glance to Rory as he bent to pick up a baggie and gazed at it forlornly. Calleigh let the phone drop when she saw the shield, now realizing why Rory had been so distraught. "Who was it?"

"Calleigh?" Tim asked. "Calleigh, we are on our way to the lab. There is something I want to run with ..."

"Who was it?" Calleigh continued, addressing Rory. He sighed and diverted his eyes, the deep desire to not speak running through him. "Rory," she said one final time as the sounds of her tears began to lace her words. The only thing running through her mind that it was one of them, the tight knit team that had been splintered once again. "Who was it?"

"It was Max... He was found about two hours ago, on the beach, same MO as the others. His ...his heart was missing."

"Oh god, no,..."

"Calleigh?"

She stared at the shield, losing herself deep in her thoughts. Six months had passed, just six months since losing such a vital part of their team, and now , they were faced with it once again. Closing her eyes, she let out a deep breath before regaining her composure and gently laying the badge in the box.

"What do you want me to do, Tim?"

" Have Rory run the knife and swab it and the business card for DNA. Then, see if you can make it down to the post with Alexx."

"Done. What are you going to do?" Calleigh asked, it now dawning on her that the determination she was hearing from him was from his residual feelings of his own son. She hoped desperately that he wasn't going to do something stupid.

"We are going to go pay a visit to a couple of new faces."

"We?"

"Yeah, while I was researching the MO's I came up on some parallels in both New York and Las Vegas. New York was the first one to answer back. Mac Taylor..."

"Ah, Mac," Calleigh responded, a sigh of relief coming over her. In the years past, many of their cases crossed states lines, and they found themselves getting very friendly with their consorts in New York. Calleigh had met briefly with Mac on several occasions. " Tell him to come by and see me before he leaves."

"Sure thing," Tim answered. " Get back to me with the results as soon as you can."

"Gotcha, Tim. Be careful," she returned. Fear crept up on her suddenly enveloping her, the reality of this now hitting her. This had now been perpetrated too close to home. "Tim, I mean it. Be careful."

"I will," he replied, his tone reacting to hers.

Calleigh smiled faintly then focused on the box in front of her, "Anything specific you are looking for , Tim?"

"Just a name, but I don't want to lead you."

"Alright, I'll get down to Alexx and send everything along. See you later."

"Alright, Calleigh."

With that, she flipped the phone down and took a deep breath before daring to look into the box again. A second passed, and she gathered herself before looking Rory in the eyes, seeing the utter despair riding them. She reached out to him and taking him into an embrace, finally feeling him relax some.

"Rory, why don't you go home. We've got this," Calleigh said softly. Rory parted and nodded, but stood his ground. He didn't seem like he was ready to go despite the obvious physical appearance. "Rory?"

"I can't leave, my parents are on their way," he said in a hushed tone.

"Parents?"

"Yeah, they have to come and identify Max's body,...he was my brother."

TBC...


	7. Chapter 7

The New Recruits :Suicide Kings

Chapter 7

Horatio sat in the Hummer for a moment, taking the second to breathe. What lain ahead of him , he didn't know, but from the sound of Jen's voice, he suspected that it wouldn't be good. Glancing at the doorway of her home, he steeled his nerves as best he could. He couldn't fathom seeing another person he loved the way he had seen them. Shaking himself, he opened the door and got out, noticing how quite the neighborhood was. It was reticent of a tomb. He approached the apartment with a sense of apprehension, the atmosphere being charged with anticipation. Coming to the stoop, he saw the fragments of the door inside the hall and instinctively placed his hand on his side.

"Jacinda!" he called out as he came closer, peering in further. The only thing he could see from his vantage point was the light on in the kitchen, spilling into the hallway. He narrowed his eyes to focus on the walls, seeing the smears on it, liking it to the strokes of a mad artist. A lumped formed in his throat as he started in the house, deciding that if she was in there, she could need help. As he walked in further, the scene became clearer to him, the signs of struggle being apparent everywhere. "Jacinda!"

Horatio stood transfixed at the scene before him, the blood that had pooled at the base of the refrigerator and had been stepped in. He side stepped the bloody footprints, noticing two sets; one bare, and one with an odd setting. Of all of this, he saw the constant evidence of a struggle. Taking the same path he did coming in, he walked out of the house, thankful for the open space that still felt confining. In the face of what he'd seen in the house, he was sure that if Jacinda wasn't dead, she didn't have time left, and he was forced to do something he never thought he would have to do. He had to call her.

/SK/

Tim pulled the Hummer to the curb, his eyes stinging from exhaustion. He had been at this all day and it seemed as if it wasn't going to let up. Briefly, his mind went to Robin, and how much he wanted to see her and Mallory. If this murder spree wasn't stopped, he feared he would miss them. The constant thought of staring into Max's vacant eyes also kept him working, wanting to get his hands on the animal who had killed him. Cringing slightly, he looked to the passenger side, past Mac to see the Charger as it pulled up smoothly, and saw as it's driver get out and smooth his suit jacket. The scowl turned to a faded smile as he took in Raymond's demeanor. If not for the reddish brown hair, one could swear that he could've been Horatio's son. Getting out, he met the detective in front of the curiously quiet club.

"This cannot be a good sign," Raymond said, scratching his head as Mac looked down the sidewalk, his eyes trailing further down towards the alley. "Tonight's their opening night, right?"

Tim noticed Mac's line of sight as he began walking down the sidewalk and pulled his mag lite out, clicking it on, "Yeah. A brand new nightclub and it's closed before two?"

"Something's hinky," Raymond replied as he started to the door, his hand pensively on his side arm, "I'll get into it."

Tim nodded as he turned in the opposite direction, heading towards the intersection. Giving a cursory glance back to Mac, he saw his beam sweeping across the darkened sidewalk, and watched as he knelt down.

"Speedle," he called out as he peered closer at the stains that covered just about the entire area, " I think I got something here."

Tim headed back towards him, passing the front of the club once more seeing slight movements within . "What's up?"

"Gravitational drops, heading towards the curb," Mac explained as he pointed the beam towards the curb, then rose off his haunches and proceeded slowly forward, "but they seem to originate from the alley."

Tim met his beam with his own as they snaked into the alley way, at first seeing nothing. As his eyes focused more, he began to walk, letting the beam follow the trail of blood, noticing the progression in size. He lifted the beam slightly, and saw the blood pool along with something else. Mac joined him as he turned in every direction, seeing evidence of a disturbance; several trash cans were knocked over and covered in what seemed like blood.

"Something went down here," Tim stated dourly as he knelt. The light spilled on to the image and Tim hung his head more, recognizing the familiar identification badge. Mac went into the breast pocket of his jacket and produced a set of gloves, handing them to Tim. Once Tim got the gloves on , he picked up the badge and sighed heavily. "I think we may have found our primary crime scene. It's Max's."

A sound caused both detectives to raise their heads, seeing Raymond as he approached, "Found someone to talk to, care to take a guess who?"

"Tell me it's good Ray," Tim said as he rose. His instincts were telling him that he was closer than he knew to Max's killer.

"Oh it is. I happened upon one of the owners, a Perry Ramson. He said it was a slow night, so he closed the place. Can you believe that, after all that hype?"

"I bet," Mac responded as he gestured to the blood pool then back to Tim. " A murder tends to clear places in no time."

"You guys found something?"

"Our primary crime scene," Tim returned solemnly, looking at the badge, Max's smirk staring back at him. " Let's go ask our club boy some questions."

/SK/

Calleigh pushed through the doors of the morgue just as Alexx was pulling the sheet away from him. The silence of the moment was thick, a heaviness hung about the atmosphere almost suffocating her. The loss of a member of the force was always hard, but when it hit closer to home, it was even worse. Calleigh came to rest across from Alexx, noticing the all too familiar signs of fatigue , but also a renewed determination. She smiled faintly as she looked down at Max, his features seemingly softening, despite the lack of life.

"I didn't know that Max was Rory's brother," Calleigh said softly as she continued to gaze at him, finally seeing the faint traces of Rory.

"Small world, right?" Alexx answered sadly as she looked to Calleigh, a faint smile appearing. "No matter who he was though, he didn't deserve this."

The door opened again and they both saw him enter, the exhaustion that he was surely feeling being replaced now by an expression of deep sadness laced with anger. Calleigh was almost floored by it solely because, in all her time working with Rory, she had never seen him without a smile.

He stood next to Calleigh, his eyes drifting down to Max, retaining his gaze, speaking as if under a trance, " He's my half brother. My father had him with my stepmother. When we were younger, he always said that he hated me, but despite that, we got along pretty good. He was certainly a hell raiser."

Alexx gave a knowing glance to Calleigh and then sighed heavily, "Rory, baby, are you sure that you want to be here?"

"Right now, there's nowhere better to be- I don't know if I can stand to be around my parents," he responded, matching Alexx's strained sigh. He looked up at her, his eyes beginning to well, " He was my brother, I want to be here. So," he breathed out once more, " what happened?"

Alexx nodded as she gestured to his body then casting her gaze downward at the Y incision, " Cause of death was transection of the aortic artery, of course, causing him to bleed out within seconds. The incisions were ragged, telling me that it was a bigger knife and that rage possibly fueled the action. He also suffered contusions to the head," Alexx remarked as she gestured her way down, " and several broken ribs."

"Indicative of an assault," Calleigh chimed in as she steadied her sights on Rory. More and more of the sadness was melding into anger.

"The ecchymosis didn't present until I got him here, but, yes, he was beaten, by several attackers. I got at least two sets of shoe prints from his body," Alexx said as she handed the folder to Calleigh. " I was also able to get some trace from under his finger nails and knuckles." She picked his hand up and caressed it softly, " He fought back, and knew what to do with it."

"But, he was over powered," Rory offered, his tone almost inaudible. "Anything else?"

"There was a substance in his hair, I'm sending it to trace along with his belongings," Alexx said as she moved to the tray housing several brown paper bags.

"Alexx..." Calleigh started as Alexx put a hand up, a bigger smile starting to form. She silently handed her the folder and Calleigh smirked. " Thanks, Alexx."

"No problem. I also made impressions of the wound tract."

"You're the best, Alexx. I'll take this to firearms and compare."

"Alright, well, if there is nothing else," Alexx replied as she began to pull the sheet over him once more. Rory reached out to stop her, the sadness permeating through his anger somewhat. "Rory, honey, it's better to let him go now."

" I need a minute," he returned , the emotion thick in his voice, despite his attempts to stave it. Alexx dropped the sheet and nodded in understanding. Calleigh turned away, feeling her cell vibrate on her side as Alexx crossed the room, heading towards her office. She thought to answer it, but then told herself that she would return the call once she got back to firearms. Her main concern now was Rory.

"Are you going to be okay, Rory?" she asked, attempting to add light to her tone.

"I'm going to be fine once we find the bastards that did this,"Rory intoned, the anger becoming more apparent as the sadness receded .

Calleigh turned to face him, seeing him as he leaned down to Max, a tear finally dropping. Silently, she left , the door closing Rory in with his grief. Solitude is what he needed at the moment.

/SK/

Robin stood on the balcony of her room, the sea breeze from the Atlantic blowing gently through her hair as she stared out into the horizon, the faint light of the oncoming sun chasing the darkness away. Just like this sunrise, she felt as if something were beginning anew inside of her. The time away from Miami had been what she needed to regain focus of her life, of her grief and her love. She realized that Tim had done nothing wrong in nurturing their son's desires to follow in his footsteps, but the mere fact that Robert was now gone, she had to lay blame somewhere. With the person who perpetrated his senseless murder behind bars, that blame erroneously went to Tim. At the time, she couldn't see that he was just as devastated as she, but now, she was seeing clearly and her intentions were pure. Her anger had clouded all sensibility; she knew that Tim would never put his son in harms way, but she just couldn't get past the fact that Robert was gone. Never did she think that she would have to bury her child, but she had, and now, the repercussions of that and her subsequent blow up at Tim were the reasons for her return. Her life couldn't be consumed in false notions of what truly happened, Robert was just like his father, impulsive and stubborn, and sadly, it was what caused his demise.

Taking a deeper breath, she turned towards the sea, relishing the refreshing wind that blew off of it, feeling it cleanse her of the final nugget of doubt. She had done the right thing by returning to him, too much time had been wasted already. She knew where she belonged, and she belonged in her husband's arms, in their home, in Miami.

"Mom," came the sleepy call from the room. Robin pulled a strand of hair behind her ear as she turned towards the room, walking through the patio door and the shears, then sliding the door closed. Mallory was standing there in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes , looking every inch of her father and brother. For a slight second, a cry choked her, realizing through all this, Mallory had been silent. Never did she take a moment to take in consideration what she was thinking, and that added to her regrets."The phone is for you."

"At this hour?" Robin asked, arching an eyebrow, noting the time on her watch. It then dawned on her that is was the only person who would still be up, the only person she wanted right now.

"It's Daddy," she yawned , walking back to her room. Robin followed but made a detour into the spacious living room, sitting down on the sofa nearest the telephone. The smile that she wore seemed to grow with every second she thought of him, the very thought of him nearly pushing her heart over the limit. She missed him terribly. Settling her nerves, she picked up the phone and listened for a second before speaking, " Tim?"

"Robin," he sighed heavily . Instantly, Robin knew that something was going on. "I meant to call you last night, but something jumped off here."

The smile faded some as she began to play with her robe, a small sigh escaping her lips, "I understand , Tim."

"I can hear it, Robin. You're disappointed in me," he came back, his tone empty.

"No, Tim... I just really want to spend time with you, I want to ...to ... I miss you so much."

" I miss you, Robin, and I promise after this case is over, I'll make it up to you."

"You don't have to promise me anything, Tim," she replied, wincing at the sharpness that her voice now took on.

"Robin... wait," he returned as his attention was focused somewhere else.

Robin held the phone in her hand, feeling the tears welling up inside of her, tightening with every breath. All she wanted was to reconnect with him, and now, it seemed that it was being sabotaged. She waited for a moment longer, hearing the conversation in the background, noting that he was busy. Fighting the urge to just hang up and let him get back to work, she gripped the phone tighter as a tear drop swelled to it's potential and dropped.

"Tim, I can talk to you.. Tim?"

A scuffle was heard and she pulled the phone back as the line was cut. The sounds of a dial tone filled her ear and she replaced the phone on its cradle gently. Deciding that the crisp morning air of Miami was what she needed again, she got up and walked towards the door, hearing the phone ringing once more. Her heart hurt, knowing that she shouldn't do this, but her soul hurt even more to see that although Tim was ecstatic to see her, he wasn't really breaking down walls to get to her. Silently, she stood on the balcony, once more, staring out into the oncoming sunrise, this time, the action taking on a different meaning. With this sunrise, came uncertainty.

TBC...


	8. Chapter 8

The New Recruits: Suicide Kings Ch8

The samples started to blur, her eyes finally putting up resistance . She had been at this since early this morning, the only respite being a quick bite to eat in the break room. Sighing , she lifted her gaze, rubbing her eyes hard, then glancing at the clock_. Could it be a quarter to six already? _Calleigh thought as she shook her head in disbelief and then lowered it to the scopes once more, trying to remember when she had last pulled a double. At her age, they should've been far and few in between, but at the heart of the matter, she really didn't care;sometimes, being in the lab gave her the sense of still being viable. Even so, the heaviness of her eyes told her that she would have to put it down soon. If nothing, years of being a CSI had taught her that evidence looked far better with fresh eyes.

"Right after I finish this," she said a loud as she switched the samples. The subsequent sound of the door opening kept her eyes in the scope, but she could plainly identify him as he entered, the sounds of his feet practically shuffling in that familiar way. A broader smile erupted as she peered harder into the scope, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

Tim came to rest next to her, his eyebrow furrowed, " How do you do that?"

"A lady never forgets," she remarked slyly as she sharpened the focus on the sample. "Besides, you've smelled the same for almost twenty years."

"Smelled the same?" he questioned , shifting his weight. "So, I smell now?"

"Tim, you know what I mean. Some things are just unforgettable," she answered with a faint grin, finally lifting her head, her eyes sparkling even through exhaustion. She could see the color rise in his cheeks and chuckled slightly then gestured to the scope, " that knife that was found at the scene, it's a match to the wounds on Max."

"So, we have the murder weapon?"

"Yes, we have the murder weapon," Calleigh responded as she turned her attention to the paper work. Silence settled as she wrote, then was broken by her voice once more, her focus retained on the report, "So, I hear that Robin's back in town. Have you seen her?"

"R-Robin?" Tim stumbled slightly, giving her a double take. _Alexx..._ he thought angrily. "Uh, yeah, she came in yesterday."

"There's no need to get nervous , Tim. She's your wife, it's about time you two got through this," Calleigh retorted, a small smile coming over her. "Time is precious."

Tim nodded as he glanced up at her, seeing the vestiges of regret as they hovered over her. He moved closer to her. It had been a rough six months since Phillip had filed for divorce, but with him going through all of his crises, he didn't realize that she had virtually no one.

"Cal,..."

The door opened and he retracted his stance and looked up at Rory who was holding a file in the air, a semblance of a smirk riding his face, "We got a hit off of CODIS. Can you believe that it matches four of our current cases?"

"You're kidding," Tim said as he glanced at Calleigh.

"I kid not. These came from Max's scene, and these," Rory said as he flipped the page, "came from the scene at the county commissioner's home as well as the scene at the pier."

Tim took the report as Calleigh pulled one of her own, "There's more to add to that , Alexx found three sets of shoe impressions on Max's body and I was able to isolate them and run them in the database. Care to take a guess?"

"Looks expensive," Rory commented as he glanced at the report then back up to Calleigh, " Maddens?"

"Think bigger," Calleigh said as she smiled harder, pointing to the results.

"Burglianis? Wow, that's some serious scratch," Rory intoned as he grinned heavily.

"The trappings of the rich and famous," she finished, her accent slipping. "But that helps us. The more expensive shoe, the more likely that there is only a select few who could afford to buy them."

"I'll get on the stores as soon as they open," Rory said as he glanced at the wall clock, sighing hard, "which will be in about four hours."

"Rory, go home," Tim interjected. "We've got it."

"You guys have been at it almost as long as I have, besides, I can't go home right now. There's still so much to be done. That sample found in CODIS? He's also been up for assault and battery, so we have to find this dude and question him."

"Rory, this can be handled by someone else," Tim was saying as he notice Calleigh reaching in her pocket. She glanced up at him and he nodded, watching her walk over to the corner of the room. Retaining his focus, he sighed hard, knowing exactly what Rory was doing. "You are going to have to face it one way or another, Rory. Death is painful, but if you let it fester, then it's going to be a lot harder to get through."

"This is how I'm dealing, Speed. I have to catch this bastard before he can harm anyone else."Rory said as he tossed the file down. The papers landed sporadically, a picture catching Tim's eye. He picked it up and gazed at it, trying to remember where he saw this face.

"Who is this?"

"The match, his name is Trevor Norbin. He was tagged for assault about three years ago. Victim was adamant about pressing charges. I was looking through the file and ..."

"Rory, I know this guy," Tim said as it finally dawned on him. The sound of something crashing in the direction of Calleigh alerted both their attention, seeing her as she tried to brace herself against the table. Tim's heart raced as he moved quickly, coming to her and noticing the fear that was encased in her eyes. "Calleigh?"

"It's Jacinda..."

"What? What about Jacinda?" Rory asked as he came beside him. He kept his eyes on the blond as she regained her control although it seemed as if she was still a little loose at the ends.

"That was Horatio," she said stonily, straightening her lab coat, her hands moving almost methodically over the material. "He got a call from Jen, telling him that she thought that Jacinda was in trouble. He went to check it out and said that he found disturbance, and..."

"And?" Tim asked, his fear coming to a peak. He continued to stare at Calleigh , seeing her calm exterior starting to deteriorate.

"She's gone. There...there was blood, and footprints," Calleigh returned, her eyes welling up. Despite the expressed need to scream, she knew she had to keep it in check. The life of her daughter was dependant on it and control was what was needed at the moment. With nothing else, she started moving, putting on a pair of gloves.

"Calleigh, what are you doing?" Tim asked , a breath escaping.

"Horatio said that the evidence would be coming in. I'm getting ready for it," she replied simply.

"Do you think that is a good idea, Calleigh?" Rory asked, looking to Tim.

"I happen to think it's a great idea. I can't go home, cause then I would be itching to go to Jacinda's and we all know I can't go there. SO the best place for me to be is right here so I can find my daughter," she explained rapidly. Tim easily recognized the barrier that she was trying to put up. She tended to talk fast when she was upset.

"Calleigh," Tim started as she put her hand up to him.

"No, Tim, I'm staying here, and there's nothing anyone can do about it."

"Cal..."

" You worked Robert's death, right?" Calleigh asked as she centered her gaze with Tim, his head dropping in acknowledgment. At the time, no one could pull him away from his lab, fighting tooth and nail to get something to stick to General Cruz. Even Clavo's death hadn't eased the pain, but somehow, staying focused on work had helped him, albeit not well, but helped him just the same.

"Yeah, but Cal, this is different..."

"It doesn't matter if you view this as a conflict of interest, Tim. I'm staying."

"There's something you need to know, Calleigh," Tim said as he reached for the file. He showed her the photograph and she stared at it for a moment before adverting her eyes and clearing her throat at the recognition of the face. She took a second and then looked up at Tim, clearly shaken.

"It's Jake."

"Yes, it's Jake, and he knows where she lives."

"Whoa, wait a minute, this is Trevor Norbin, one third of a partnership of Ace in The Hole. Who is this Jake person?" Rory asked, throughly confused.

"Jake Worthington," Tim responded as Calleigh continued to stare emotionless at the photo, "he was Jacinda's boyfriend four years ago. He tried to kill her."

"Tim," Calleigh spoke, her voice finally betraying her serene demeanor, "We've got to find him."

"Wait, this guy is wanted in connection with at least four murder sites, including my brother's. How do you know he's the one who has Jacinda?"

"Before he could be formally charged, he was spirited away by his parents. He left unfinished business," Calleigh answered as she looked up from the picture, the tears welling up. Just as quickly as they were revealed, they disappeared under her hand as she steadied herself more, the determination coming back with a vengeance ."We have to find him, but how?"

"I think I may know the answer to that. We have his business partner in holding for questioning," Tim said as he started walking to the door.

"Well, let's just go see what his partner has to say," Calleigh responded, following. The momentary lapse in emotion was erased, she was all business now.

"Hey, can someone catch me up on this," Rory said a step behind them. As the door closed on the layout room, the air became charged anew. A fire had been lit , and now it was about to consume the entire lab. Calleigh was going to get her daughter back, come hell or high water.

TNR

Perry sat across from the window, gazing at the sun beginning to rise, his hopes dashed. Last night shouldn't have happened, just like the night before, Vegas before that, and New York before that. What had begun as a partnership in a lucrative business had mutated into the frenzied blood craze that he now found himself stuck in. It never should've gotten this far, but he was only the middle man, what could he have done? His leverage was shot to hell when Trevor took over in Vegas, he had started to question his sanity. Knowing all this, Perry berated himself constantly as to why he didn't just leave the partnership. As he peered at the sun breaking over the horizon, he answered that with a name ; Trevor Norbin.

"Well, you're knee deep in it now," Perry said aloud as he turned from the window. Placing his hands in front of him, he bowed his head and sighed, his mind running with the possibilities. He could try and dance around their questions, wasting time in the process already knowing that with nothing against him, they couldn't hold him for long, or he could just tell the truth. Still debating on which road to take, he heard the door open and watched as a woman entered, her long blond hair cascading down her back. Her green eyes blazed with such intensity, it caused him to shiver slightly. Her beauty was astounding, but her anger was frightening. Perry gulped hard as she was joined by the detective who brought him here, his gaze just about as worst as hers. His mind settled, and he decided to see how the conversation progressed, hoping that he could just skim by on feeding them some of the truth.

The woman sat down in front of him, her gaze holding him. She placed her hands on the table and a small smile appeared, easing the tension in the room. Perry let a breath escape, relaxing more now, his own smile slowly surfacing. Just maybe he could get out of this unscathed. If he did that, he was going to get out of town, and never look back. This had officially became too much for him.

"Mr. Ramson, I'm Calleigh Duquense, CSI," she started sweetly, her face now a picture of calmness. " Do you have any idea why you are here?"

"Actually, no,"Perry answered , shifting his gaze to Tim, "but he seems to think that I had something to do with a murder."

"Mr. Ramson, there was blood found in the alley way of your club, along with the identification of a slain cop. Care to explain that?"

"What's to explain?" Perry asked as he shrugged his shoulders. The truth could wait if he was going to slide through this. "It was the alley, I'm not responsible for anything that happens outside my club."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really," Perry retorted as he gained his bearings more, his demeanor sliding back into his confident stance. Finally, he was in control.

"Okay, so, you aren't responsible for the blood out in your alleyway, what about the blood stains on your shirt?"

Perry glanced down at his shirt, seeing the dark spots, " This isn't blood, it's a Yaeger Bomb. Some waitress bumped into me at the club."

"I see, well then you won't mind if we take it for testing then, will you?" Calleigh asked as Tim glanced at her. "Along with a sample of your DNA?"

Perry sat back and grinned, "I don't mind, but my lawyer might. Are you guys chargin' me with something?"

Calleigh again smiled sweetly as she leaned forward, her composure remaining steadfast, "If you cooperate, things can go smoothly for you. I know you had something to do with the murder of Max Shelton." Calleigh opened the file that was in front of her and pushed it towards him, " This shows me that you had contact with him. Your fingerprints were found on his person, as well as the shield that just so happened to be sticking out of his chest. So, Perry, I think you've found yourself in a pickle."

The color drained from Perry's face as the grin disappeared. How could he have been so careless? "I d-didn't kill him."

"Well, unless we get another name, everything says you did," Tim said as he pointed to his shirt. "Money says that's officer Shelton's blood on your shirt and the scratches on your neck came from him. Now, if you didn't kill him, then at the very least, you are an accessory. Help yourself out."

His hand traced over his neck, feeling the scratches and closed his eyes. The control that he thought he had in the situation was now nonexistent. Suddenly, the truth was looking better and better.

"Alright, you want a name? I can give you two," Perry started as he opened his eyes. It was better now if he cut his losses, "Trevor Norbin and Mason James. They are my partners in the club and in everything else."

"Everything else?" Calleigh asked, cutting her eyes to Tim. Tim returned it with a glance of his own as he felt his phone vibrate on his side. Without looking, he pulled it off and looked to Calleigh , who nodded , and got up , walking to the other side of the room. Calleigh retained her focus. "Elaborate."

Perry took a deep breath and glanced to the windows, realizing that this would probably be the last time he saw the sun as a free man, " Trevor , Mason and myself met in school in New York ; Trevor had transferred from Miami University . There was something about him... I can't explain it. He was actually the one who started the idea of the clubs. Told us that in Miami, clubs were the going thing."

"Keep going," Calleigh intoned as calm as she could. The whole story had to be told to get what she wanted out of him..

"So, he thinks up the idea, we scrounge up the money, and in no time, there's a club in New York. Things were great. Everything was good until we started getting some flack from the city Commissioner. He threatened to shut us down. Trevor never did well with threats."

"So, Trevor killed the city Commissioner in New York?" Calleigh asked.

"Yeah, and it just escalated from there. Soon, it became a game, who could kill the most. It was almost like a sport."

From the two way mirror, Mac cringed as he heard the glib tone , trying vainly to suppress his instincts from going into that room. He paced as the interview continued, Calleigh getting all the information needed.

"So," she breathed out a couple of minutes later, " there's someone from New York who is going to want to speak to you. But before that..."

"I know where she is," Perry stated randomly.

"Excuse me?" Calleigh asked, taken aback by the sudden admission. "What did you say?"

"You're going to ask me about the pregnant girl next, right? I know where she is, but, I'm not going to tell until you get Mason in here too. I need the company."

With a swift move, Calleigh reached across the table, all semblance of the calmness earlier , disappearing. Tim turned towards the commotion and spoke again before crossing the room, reaching for Calleigh. In a fluid motion, he flipped his phone down and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her away from Perry who grinned heavily as she flailed about.

"He knows, Tim!" she yelled, " He knows where Jacinda is!"

Tim pulled her to the wall, blocking her view and speaking lowly, "Cal, this will get us nowhere."

"He knows," Calleigh repeated, the anger abating somewhat, " he knows where my daughter is."

"And unless we give him something to work with, Jacinda doesn't have a chance."

"Excuse me," Perry chirped, "but, I don't think you have the luxury of time here. Trevor isn't very patient."

"Shut up!" Tim snapped as he turned to Perry. Perry put his hands up and sat back. His fate had been sealed already, there was nothing left to do but sit back and watch. Tim turned back to Calleigh as the door opened and Mac walked through, first glancing to Tim, then to Perry.

"Oh, hiya, Mac!" Perry exclaimed as he waved to him, a wide smile now affixed on his face, "miss me much?"

"I don't think you are going to be so smug at Rikers," Mac responded as he stood in front of him. "We have a flight to catch."

Perry shrugged his shoulders as the uniform stood behind him, standing him up. Mac watched as he lead him out of the door, the smile finally fading somewhat.

"We don't leave for another four hours, maybe he'll spill about the whereabouts of your daughter," Mac offered softly.

"I think he's done talking," Tim answered as he looked to Calleigh. He could see the fear seeping in, taking the vestiges of her strength. "We are going to have to find another way."

Calleigh regained her composure and Tim stood back, watching intently, " Let's find that other way, and find my daughter."

TBC...


	9. Chapter 9

The New Recruits :Suicide Kings

Chapter 9

The heat was unbearable, that much he could concede. He wiped his brow as he ascended the steps to the crime lab, carrying his case and portfolio, his breath becoming labored. Even at it's hottest, Vegas was nothing compared to the thick blanket of humidity that Miami provided, and Nick suddenly found himself missing home. He kept in mind his purpose and continued on his way, watching the locals go throughout their day as if the oppressive heat wasn't bothering them.

The door opened and he side stepped as a woman passed, holding the door for her. She eyed him almost lustfully as the color rose in his cheeks, a small smile erupting. She winked at him and kept walking, her hips swaying more . Nick chuckled as he entered the door, shaking his head. If anything, he could honestly say that Miami women were a horse of an entirely different color. Readjusting his case, he pressed on, coming to the desk sergeant, putting on his best smile despite the exhaustion that ran through him. The long plane ride coupled with the addition of the heat wasn't making him any more pleasant, but he reminded himself that he was here for only one reason, and after that , he could head home.

"May I help you?" she asked sweetly.

"Nick Stokes, Vegas PD," Nick intoned with his deep southern accent, "I 'm here to see Detective Tim Speedle."

Paula glanced at his badge on the desk and nodded, picking up the phone. When she didn't get an answer, she frowned, hanging up the phone. Trying another number, she waited to no avail and sighed heavily.

"I'm afraid I can't reach Detective Speedle."

"Maybe I can help," a voice said from behind Nick. Paula glanced up as Nick turned to see her standing, offering a small smile. Immediately, his eyes were drawn to her spectacular red hair and piercing eyes. She extended her hand and continued, "I'm Lieutenant Maddison Caine, CSI. How can I help you?"

"I'm Nick Stokes, Vegas. I was looking for Tim Speedle, he sent an inquiry through NCIC and we picked up on it. Seems as if we have something in common."

"Indeed," Maddison responded, a tiny smile forming then disappearing. Her team had been working around the clock on the murderous spree, and at this point , any help was welcomed. "So, this is pertinent to our ongoing case?"

"I'm hoping so. We've been looking for these guys for years now, and every time we get close, they seem to disappear," Nick answered frustratingly. "Detective Speedle added the MO and it was similar to our ongoing cases, so we thought it was worth the fare to check it out."

Maddison watched as Paula presented Nick with a visitor's badge and gestured to the lab, "Whatever information we have, we will be glad to share. Everything is at your disposal, Mr. Stokes."

"It's Nick, and thanks," Nick responded with a crinkle of a smile. He looked past her and took in the large atrium of the lab, " Nice place you got here."

"Thanks. Now , let's see if I can track down Detective Speedle," Maddison replied as she started walking. With more help, this case was going to be solved yet.

/CSI/

Rory rubbed his eyes hard as he sifted through the photos of the various crime scenes, desperate to find a connection that was going to be the case breaker. So far , they had nothing more than a string of circumstantial evidence to tie Trevor or his crony friends to any of the murders. They essentially were still at square one, even with Perry singing like a canary, and that wasn't the position he wanted to be in with the clock ticking against Jacinda.

Jacinda.

Rory stopped and sighed heavily, his thoughts being overwhelmed by her, wondering if she was okay. In the months that he had joined the team, his heart had been taken by her, but he could readily see and concede that hers still belonged to her late boyfriend. He respected that, and vowed to give her the room she needed. If they were meant to be, then it would happen, but Rory had no intentions on screwing that up. His thoughts shifted to her welfare, snickering to himself at the absurdity of his worry. Of course Jacinda was alright, she was, after all, a CSI, and she had the blood of her mother coursing through her veins. Despite this confidence , however, there was that pang of fear that hit him heavily at the notion that whoever this Trevor guy was, he had the upper hand. Shaking these horrific thoughts away, he retrained his focus on the pictures as he heard the door open.

"Still burning the midnight oil, I see."

"It's morning, and I see you are still here," Rory said as he looked up at Raymond. A small smile appeared and he dropped his head back to the pictures, " What can I do for you?"

Raymond glanced over the evidence on the table, his eyes resting on the autopsy photo of Max, sighing hard, " Look , Rory, I'm sorry to hear about Max. He was a good kid."

"Yeah, he was," Rory responded quietly as he quickly adverted his eyes from the photo. He couldn't let that grief surface just yet, not with work still left to be done. Moving from the photo, his eyes caught on another photograph, the one of the cards that was picked out of Max's effects. Frantically, Rory pushed passed Raymond, reaching for the box of evidence confiscated from the club, feverishly searching for what he wanted. Raymond stood back, his brow lifted in concern as Rory pulled out three different evidence bags that corresponded to the photos and placed them side by side. "What do you see?"

Raymond scratched his head, peering at Rory and his obvious lack of sleep, " I see three kings."

"Three kings, exactly. Now, go with me on this," Rory said as he gestured to the cards, " King of Diamonds, King of Hearts, King of Clubs. Okay, now , what don't you see?"

"Rory..."

"It's a deck , Ray."

"Rory, really, how long have you been at this? Maybe you should go home, get some rest?"

"Ray, listen to me! There are three kings here, how many is needed to make a full deck?"

"Four," Raymond responded, it now dawning on him, " The King of Spades is missing. There is another partner."

"Another partner, which makes Perry Ramson..."

"A liar," Raymond finished as he pulled his cell. "A liar who is set to take a trip."

"Get him back into interrogation. It's time we played our hand," Rory stated sternly.

Raymond nodded and walked out, talking animatedly. Rory sat back in the chair and smiled to himself as he looked at the photos.

_Hold on Jacinda, hold on..._

/CSI/

Jacinda shivered as she eyed Jake sitting on the couch, his head lulled back in a deep sleep. As his chest moved rhythmically, Jacinda's eyes gravitated to the crudely fashioned bandage that he had applied not so soon after arriving, covering her attempts to escape his clutches. For her trouble, he had rewarded her with her own wound, it blazing a trail of fire down her chest. It was superficial, but nonetheless, it still hurt. She had tried her best to subdue Jake, but to her memory, he wasn't easily bested.

Keeping her eyes on him, she moved slightly, feeling the binds on her wrists as they cut into her flesh. A sole tear escaped at the inability to free herself, the anxiety building. If there was anything that frightened her the most, it was not being in control of a situation. Even through out most of her life, she had held on to a sliver of control, and in the tiny instances that she had lost that control, she could deal with it. But in this situation, all the variables were in the wind, the unknowns extreme. Jake was unpredictable, and with the sort of retribution she knew that coursed through him, this could turn bad quick. Her only hope was to get out of there, fast.

She continued to move the ropes, the thick binds rubbing her skin raw, the blood starting to flow. The more she thought about what he was capable of, the more she moved, a small cry of triumph erupting when she finally felt the ropes loosen somewhat. Looking to him, she saw as he remained asleep, his chest still falling calmly. A sneer arose as she started to rise, taking a deep breath. Hoping to exploit his moment of weakness, Jacinda moved, knowing that she had to think quickly and remain calm if she was going to get through this alive.

A car door slammed and Jake sat up straight, his eyes wide despite still being filled with sleep. Jacinda quickly sat down and put her arms behind her, adverting her sights to the window. Jake got up , wincing as he held his side, snatching the shears to the windows back. As he rubbed his eyes, he peered harder at the oncoming visitor, and then stumbled backwards in realization who it was that had come calling. His color drained, and he hit a table, crashing onto the floor as the sounds of pounding began on the front door. Jacinda was sure that the next pounding would splinter the door into pieces.

"Trevor! I know you're in there," his voice said sinisterly as the sound of the pounding deepened, " you didn't actually think you were going to get away with it , did you?"

Jake scrambled to his feet messily, again holding his side. He reached out for Jacinda, pulling her up roughly, noticing that the ropes were no longer tied, glaring at her amidst the consistent pounding. Jacinda pushed him away and tried to run, but he recovered quickly, pulling at her hair roughly. She bit back a cry of pain as he grasped her wrists, the wounds stinging with the contact. He moved backwards, holding on to her tightly, bending to whisper in her ear.

"You make this hard for me, I promise you, Jace, it will be that much harder on you. Got me?" he asked through gritted teeth as he gestured to her swollen belly. Jacinda nodded and complied, her body instantly relaxing. Her goal was to make it out of here alive, then she would deal with what came next.

Jake let her go, and then pushed her through the doorway, the pounding stopping. He stood stark still, training his senses , then moved , shoving at her again. The voice boomed once again, sounding much more closer than before, and Jake stopped once more, grasping at her wrist.

"It's time to pay up, Trevor. Mason and I have already worked out an agreement. He was very cooperative, for the most part. And as for Perry, let's just say , problem solved. So , my friend that leaves you, and I always collect on my debts."

"Sounds like you have a problem, Jake," Jacinda chided as he turned to her, his eyes burning with fury. "A big problem."

Jake said nothing as he directed her to go through the next door, knowing that he was the last one left standing. If there was anything that he knew about Milo, it was that he always made good on his word. His thoughts on his impending freedom, he opened the door to the outside, shoving her through it. Just as he walked through, he felt a searing pain rip through the back of his head and then fell to the ground in a heap. Jacinda screamed as two men grabbed her by her arms and held her as one slipped out from the shadows, smiling menacingly as he held the butt of the gun, looking at Jake.

"Time to pay up, Trevor."

/CSI/

Calleigh stared at the report, willing it not to be true. She had seen the crime scene pictures of Jacinda's home, the destruction taking her very breath away. She was hoping beyond hope that the blood recovered from the home wasn't Jacinda's, and that her daughter was going to be just fine. The report that she now held in her hands had crushed that hope, the sample being compared then matched to Jacinda's departmental records. Calleigh tried to hold on to the last vestige of strength inside of her, telling her that Jacinda was strong and smart, that she would be okay. The memories of four years ago assaulted her and her fear grew exponentially. Jacinda barely got away from Jake the first time, and now, he had her again, his only leverage was the misleading knowledge. Ramson had provided one nugget of information, but that wasn't nearly enough. What was needed was time , and Calleigh glanced at the clock knowing that they had very little of it left. If Jake had managed to get away with Jacinda, there was no telling where he would take her, or leave her for that matter.

Unable to stand there any longer, Calleigh burst out into the corridor, instantly making contact with someone. The tears started to well in her eyes as she tried to make a quick getaway, a strong hand prohibiting that. Turning, she gazed into his dark brown eyes, seeing her fear mirrored in them.

"Tim..."

"I know , Calleigh," Tim stated gently as he let go of her arm.

"I've got to do something. I can't just sit around while my daughter is out there in the hands of some maniac."

"We are going to find her, Calleigh. You have to trust that."

Silently, she continued to look at him, hoping that he was right. Hoping that they weren't too late.

/CSI/

Rory walked into the interrogation room and sat quietly in front of Perry who wore a smug smirk. With his hands in front of him, his wrists cuffed, he clicked his tongue as he watched Rory pull out a file, his eyes dancing. For once in his life, Perry was enjoying having the upper hand and because he knew somewhat of the whereabouts of the pregnant girl, he was going to milk it for all it was worth.

"I told you guys, no matter what presents you bring me, I'm still not talkin'."

"I think you still have a lot to say," Rory returned smoothly as he fished out the photos, placing them in front of him. "A lot more."

"Pictures of business cards," Perry chuckled as he glanced at the patrolman in the room. "And this is your leverage?"

"It took some time, but I figured it out."

"Really? Do tell. I'm just giddy with anticipation," Perry remarked as he leaned in more.

"I've played poker before. Probably not the best player, but I'm decent," Rory continued calmly, looking down at the photographs.

"Good for you," Perry sneered, his toleration for this game slipping. He glanced at the corridor, seeing a familiar face approach with two red heads, and his demeanor slipped. The smirk instantly disappeared, and he sat back.

Rory, oblivious to the marked change, continued, " The one thing I do know for sure is that in order to have a complete game, you have to have all your cards. This deck is incomplete. You have a fourth partner that you conveniently left out."Perry half listened as he watched the exchange between the trio and a cold sweat broke across his brow. Rory finally looked up to see Perry's discomfort and then to them. "That's Nick Stokes from Vegas. But then, you knew that already, didn't you?" He pulled out another file and threw it across the table, the photographs spilling out. "He has some interesting information that he was willing to share about some guy named Milo Senti. Ever heard that name before?"

Perry swallowed hard at the sound of his name and ran his hand nervously through his hair, looking up to see Nick glaring at him. The game was over, and now , suddenly, Perry found himself against the wall. If Milo was in town, there was only one reason for it, payback. He dropped his gaze to the table, his voice now meek and low, as if grumbling.

"What do you need from me?"

Rory smirked as he turned towards the window and nodded, then refocusing on Perry. He had been broken and now it was time to get some information from him. "Everything that you know about what's going on. Where your pal shacks up when he's in town, and why this Milo guy has it out for you."

"Alright, I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything," Perry croaked out as he finally lifted his head. "But can you tell me this, did you ever find Mason?"

Just as he asked, the door opened and Jarret walked in with a folder in his hand, a grim look about him. He handed the folder to Rory and nodded towards Perry, "Thought this would be pertinent to the situation."

Rory acknowledged as Jarret departed and he tossed one picture on the table, " I think we just found him. Start talking."

Perry stared at the picture, his stomach heaving at the sight of his best friend ripped to shreds, much in the same manner that Trevor had killed. He closed his eyes against the images of his eyes left wide open by the quick death and shook his head, "If I talk, I want protection. Milo...Milo's a sick individual."

"I guess that will teach you to piss off a sociopath," Rory answered sarcastically as he crossed his arms. "Done. Now, where can we find your guy Trevor, or shall I say , Jake?"

"Jake?" Perry asked, throughly confused. "Who the hell is Jake?"

"Jake is the guy that you've been partners with through out this little venture. He has priors for attempted murder, his exgirlfriend's."

"Oh God,..."

"Yeah, you might want to call on him," Rory snapped. "It would seem , Perry, that you would go ahead and help yourself."

"Alright, alright. I know where you can find Tre- I mean Jake," Perry said as he released a breath. " He has a place on Hibiscus Island."

"Hibiscus, swanky," Rory quipped with sharper sarcasm.

"It's a big ass place, gated, top notch security, the works."

"I see."

"But, if Milo is looking for him, it might not hold up."

"How do you mean?" Rory asked, his tone breaking with worry.

"Let's just say, if Milo finds them, your pregnant girl is as good as dead. Milo doesn't believe in mercy, or witnesses."

Leaving Perry at the table, Rory quickly got to the door and opened it, stepping out . The situation just got a lot more serious.

TBC...


	10. Chapter 10

The New Recruits: Suicide Kings

Chapter 10

Perry sat in the holding cell, his head in his hands as the images of Mason's body floated through his mind. This had gotten bad , very bad, and now he was going to have to pay the piper for it. He should've left them back in Vegas, before the job that now was coming back to haunt them, before Trevor had started teetering on the edge of insanity. As the thought of Trevor surfaced, he questioned himself, crinkling his brow at the new development ; Trevor wasn't Trevor, but some guy named Jake who was in the system for an attempted murder. How he couldn't had seen this from the beginning was anyone's guess, but the insane amounts of cash possibly blinded him. He couldn't see past the dollar sign long enough to see that his life was going to spiral out of control. Up until now, everything was as if he were playing a game. Unfortunately for him, the game had cost him everything.

He sat back against the brick of the cell, a breath escaping out of his lungs, closing his eyes. So much had happened in such a small amount of time, Perry had finally had the moment to realize that he was really exhausted. In some respects, he was glad that they were caught. Prison would be hard, but, it would be safe and Milo, despite his claims of having a far reach ,couldn't get to him in prison. That notion gave him a sense of calmness, glancing at the bracelets on his wrists with a small smirk. He knew once he saw Mac's eyes in the first interrogation all those years ago, that he would find his just desserts, and that Taylor would be there .

"Son of a bitch was right," Perry huffed to himself, " he was right."

The buzzing of the door pulled his attention and he saw one of the patrolmen as they gestured to him to rise. With no effort at all, he rose, and walked slowly towards him, his gait speaking to his defeat. Perry Ramson would spend the rest of his natural life in prison, perhaps even on death row, but it was all a means to an end. Anything was better than being in Milo's sights.

_Poor Mason,_ Perry thought as he looked up at the patrolman, "Where am I off to now?"

"One more chat with the investigators, then it's off to New York for you," the patrolman said with a grin. Something about his expression chilled Perry and he stared at him for a moment, then shaking it off as he passed.

"The sooner I get out of Miami, the better," Perry remarked, trying his best to make small talk, despite the absurdity of doing so. For crying out loud, he was a murderer.

"How so?"

Perry glanced up once more, the surprise of the conversation continuing , etched on his face. He felt his hair stand on end as he walked forward, the door behind him clicking to a close. The patrolman placed a hand on his shoulder, almost guiding Perry as he walked, the silence prevailing. At the last moment, Perry gave voice to the question, it seemingly echoing through the now deserted corridors of the department. Where was everyone?

"I did a very stupid thing."

"We all do stupid things every once in a while, bub. Live and learn is what I say."

"Live and learn."

The patrolman stopped Perry as he passed the door leading to the stairway , the bank of elevators in front of them, "Let's take the stairs. Give you a few moments before you have to face the firing squad again."

Perry did a double take and smiled heavily, how he was lucky to have gotten such a easy going cop, he didn't know, but he wasn't going to complain. It could've been a lot worse. Perry nodded as he turned awkwardly and waited for the patrolman to open the doors leading to the staircase, walking through only after the patrolman did, emerging into a small space with the stair case to his right.

"This is decent of you , man..." Perry started as he saw something moving in the shadows. His heartbeat tripled and he watched as a lumbering man eased out of the shadows, a menacing glare riding his face. Instantly, Perry knew that this was it.

"Expecting this, were you, Perry?" the man asked as he cracked his knuckles expertly.

"I knew . He really worked over Mason, didn't he?"

"Yeah, too bad though. Mason was the only one I really liked. He didn't want anything to do with it, but sadly, he was a follower. But , I'm more surprised at you, Perry. You were more of a leader, I always thought."

Perry tensed as the man came forward, knowing that no amount of talking was going to get him out of this and laughed nervously, " Tell that to Trevor."

"Milo's handling him personally. I was just sent in to collect on the collateral damage. You should've walked away, Perry. When that idiot suggested you kill Milo, you just should've walked away."

"Live and learn,"Perry answered as he smiled more, echoing the patrolman's words. He noticed that he had ditched the uniform and was now wearing all black.

"Live and learn indeed, Perry. Live and learn indeed."

"Do me a favor?" Perry asked as he sucked in a breath, feeling hands on his arms. "Tell Milo no hard feelings?"

"He says the same for you, Perry."

Perry chuckled as he felt the blow to his head, instantly giving in to the darkness. He would never open his eyes again to see , his heart would never beat again. He had given his life as fair game and had lost.

/CSI/

Calleigh sat nervously as she waited outside of Maddison's office, her legs bouncing feverishly . The night had been long, but she still hadn't felt the effects of it. She wouldn't be able to rest until her daughter was found, and brought home safely, which was now seeming like a distant hope. Every second that ticked by, was a second that was lost to Jacinda. She leaned forward on her knees and they stopped bouncing as she rubbed her hands on her face, realizing for the first time, that she hadn't called Phillip. Sighing hard, she pulled the phone out and began dialing, already hearing his accusing tone.

With closed eyes, she waited for him to pick up, only to hear his voice mail answer. Deciding that this news was best to break face to face, she left a simple message, "Phillip, call me, it's important. Calleigh."

The door opened and Calleigh looked up to see Maddison as she gestured for her to enter and got up, snapping the phone shut and shoving it in her pocket. She entered the office, seeing Horatio as he sat in a chair adjacent to Maddison's desk and the other chair being occupied by another man, one she hadn't recognized. Silently, she entered the room, the instant feeling of impending despair drifting towards her. Optimism was her strong point, but at a moment like this, it was failing her something terrible.

"Calleigh, come in," Maddison intoned softly. Just as her uncle, she had the gift to comfort with just her voice. "This is Nick Stokes from Vegas. He has been following the case very closely."

Nick rose and offered his hand to the blond southerner, "Detective Duquense."

"Mr. Stokes," Calleigh answered as she shook his hand and nodded curtly. "What does this have to do with my daughter?"

"Your daughter?" Nick questioned as he glanced to Maddison.

"Calleigh, he has information that I think is pertinent to the case. Mr. Norbin, Mr. Ramson, and Mr. James had a partner. Milo Senti."

Calleigh exhaled roughly as she flipped her hair out of her eyes, the frustration mounting. As much as she was for continuing the case, her main objective now was to get to her daughter, and standing in this office was not making way for that to happen.

"As much as that is interesting, if not enlightening, again, what does this have to do with my daughter?"

"Calleigh, we have reason to believe that this Milo guy is after retribution. Norbin,...

"Worthington," Calleigh sharply corrected as she turned her glare on Horatio. "His name is Jake Worthington."

"Worthington?" Nick asked , taking his glances between the two red heads.

"Trevor Norbin is in fact, Jacinda's ex boyfriend, Jake Worthington. He attempted to kill her four years ago."

"And now has her," Calleigh interjected as she stood her ground, her hands going to her waist. " I can respect this information, Mr. Stokes.."

"Nick," he answered conversely, "It's Nick. And this information is going to help us find both Mr. Worthington, and your daughter. Cause, really, this Milo guy is very ruthless, and when it comes to his business, he's all about it. And right now, his business is taking out those who wronged him."

"Wronged him?" Calleigh asked, arching an eyebrow. "But how?"

"Two years ago, Milo Senti got in on their little venture in Vegas, adding more money to their ever growing pockets. All he asked was thirty percent of their profits. And that was small in consideration that he had taken out key figures for them when they ran into trouble with the county commissioners. Senti came from old money, which in Vegas meant, mafia."

"Mafia?"

Nick shook his head as he dropped his eyes, then looked back at Calleigh, " Yes, and they don't like to play around with money. So, Mr. Worthington decided that thirty percent was too steep and he had Mr. Ramson and Mr. James eradicate him."

"Meaning, they were to kill him," Calleigh remarked as she closed her eyes again. Her daughter was apart of something she had no idea of. "And they didn't, and now, Mr. Senti is back for revenge."

"And he's well on his way to getting it. Mason James was found in a canal two hours ago, gutted."

"And irony strikes," Calleigh quipped with no humor in her voice. "What do we do now?"

"We are waiting for Mr. Ramson to come from holding," Horatio said as he looked at his dearest friend. "He could possibly know where Jake is heading if he knows that Milo is after him."

"Which , I'm betting that he does. Milo doesn't tend to sit on things like this. And , if they are caught..."

Calleigh didn't want to think about if they were caught, shaking her head, "No, they aren't going to be caught. We are going to find them before that happens."

Maddison was about to speak when the door burst open and a patrolman came through, his expression of disdain flowing effortlessly. Maddison turned to glare at the patrolman as she heard more commotion, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Michaels, what on earth is going on?"

"The prisoner is gone," Michaels answered, almost out of breath. "Jamieson went to retrieve him , but found the holding cell empty. He's gone."

Nick looked to them and let an frustrated sigh escape. Milo was taking them out one at a time, and faster than they could keep up. Everyone in the room knew what was going down.

"We need to find your daughter and Jake," Nick said gravely. "Quickly."

/CSI/

"How in blazes does a prisoner get missing?" Frank asked as he stood, his hands on his hips. He watched several uniforms pass, glancing to Raymond who looked on in disbelief. " A prisoner who was in a protective detail no less."

"Beats me , Frank. One thing's for sure, heads are going to roll on this one. Perry was still a popular guy, they were going to talk to him more about the case."

"Guess someone beat us to the punch," Frank quipped as he saw them approach. He noticed two new faces in the crowd of familiars and nudged Raymond, "Hey, who are the new faces?"

Raymond swung around to see Maddison and Horatio, along with Calleigh and Mac, the other face he didn't recognize. "I know one is Mac Taylor from New York, the other, I'm not so sure about."

"They still haven't found Jacinda?" Frank asked, his eyes set on Calleigh. He could tell that this was taking a toll on her.

" No, which is why they were going to talk to Ramson again," Raymond answered as they met, "Maddison, Horatio."

"Raymond," Maddison nodded in greeting, "what happened here?"

"Milo Senti happened," Nick interjected as he looked around, narrowing his eyes. "And it looks as if he got what he wanted."

"Milo Senti?" Raymond asked, looking between the two red heads. "Who's that?"

"The long and short of it , the silent partner to Ramson, Norbin , and James. Very silent," Nick intoned dryly as he continued to scope the scene then addressing Maddison, "Are your guys working this?"

Maddison gestured to the team that had begun to snap photos of the holding cell, "Swing shift hung around this morning."

"They might want to extend their perimeter," Nick offered as one of the CSIs approached.

"We've got something over here," he said as he pointed to the stair well. Quickly, the group moved towards the stairwell, the flashes popping as the scene unfolded. "There's blood and a patrolman's uniform."

"It suddenly doesn't look good for Perry," Raymond stated with a sigh as he saw a patrolman being led to a gurney, holding his head. It was very apparent by the boxers and t-shirt that his was the uniform found. Raymond shook his head and crouched down. With the amount of blood that was present, he was sure that Perry was in a very bad position.

"Take samples, and as many pictures as you can,"Maddison directed, facing them. "Calleigh..."

Everyone glanced around to see the southern beauty gone, and Maddison threw a troubled glance to Horatio. Everything was going from bad to worse.

/CSI/

Robin tucked her hair into a ponytail as she walked, her thoughts solely on Tim. Since the awkward phone call earlier, something had risen inside of her, but she wasn't about to provoke it into growing. She had returned back to Miami to save her marriage, and she was determined to be successful in that matter. All morning, she mulled over what Tim really meant to her. True, he had made mistakes, but hadn't she? Wasn't she giving rise to one at this very moment? Deep in her heart, she knew that Tim had nothing to do with their son's death; RJ knew what he wanted out of life, and the stubborn streak that ran through him poised him to achieve it. Robin now realized that Tim had done nothing more than support his son through all of his decisions, just as a father should have and she couldn't fault him for being that. RJ had been lucky to have a father like Tim, and she was even luckier to have him as a husband. It took going away for six months for her to finally admit it to herself, but if doing that was going to bring them closer together, she hadn't regretted it one bit.

"But you are still an idiot," Robin mumbled to herself as she sat down to slip on her shoes.

"You know, talking to yourself denotes a problem...of a mental kind," Mallory quipped as she leaned against the door jamb, her eyes dancing. Robin looked up at her and smiled, seeing every bit of Tim in her daughter. Mallory stood up straight and walked to the bed, sitting next to her mother, "And where are you off to?"

"I'm going to see your father. I think it's high time we settled on some things."

Mallory beamed as she embraced her mother, "Oh, Mom, that's great! Can I see him today too?"

"I don't know honey, we really need to do some talking, and he could be busy at the lab."

"Mom," Mallory pleaded as her brow crinkled, "wait... didn't you say he was at the lab? What makes you think that he will have time to see you?"

"Because, sweetie," Robin started as she got up and walked to the closet, pulling her bag out, " I already called, and he didn't answer, which probably means he's in trace and..."

"Ill communicado," Mallory smirked as she got up and came behind her. In what seemed like a lifetime, she could see the vestiges of happiness starting to reappear in her mother's eyes and she liked it. She could barely wait until the moment they were truly united as a family again.

"Great word. Are you going to be alright for an hour?"

"Yeah, Jessica and her mother are coming by . I might go with them to the mall."

"And when were you going to tell me this?" Robin asked, narrowing her eyes at her daughter playfully.

"I was going to...eventually," Mallory returned with a hint of sarcasm as she started to laugh. Yes, the mother that she used to know and love was making a return. "No , really Mom, I figured you needed some time to yourself, so I asked Jessica if I can hang out with her."

Robin smiled as she put a hand to her cheek, a hint of regret coming to her. For six months, Mallory had virtually been silent about all that was going on around her, and Robin had to think that this was all taking so much from her. In spite of this, though, Mallory remained by her side, not once questioning her motives or feelings.

"That's so sweet of you, honey. But really, I think all I need is an hour."

"An hour , huh? You're good."

"Funny. Remember to take your key, Mallory," Robin remarked before walking away. She looked back at Mallory, " And be careful."

"Good luck, Mom," Mallory beamed as she gave her a short wave. Robin left and Mallory let an easy sigh escape her lungs as she made her way into the living room. In all truth, she was tired of this wall that had been built between them and her father. She wanted nothing more than to be back in Miami with him, and now it seemed as if that was a serious possibility. As she turned on the television, she hummed to herself, hoping beyond hope that nothing was going to stop them from getting back together. "It had better not," she said to herself as she flipped through the channels.

A quick picture of a familiar face caught her attention and she turned back, the smile on her face fading. Staring back at her was a smiling Jacinda, the headline reading into her disappearance. She cupped her mouth as the shock flowed through her and her eyes welled. This was the one thing that could blow everything else out of the water, and her mother didn't have a clue.

/CSI/

Calleigh pushed through the doors , fighting to hold her emotions at bay. Her daughter was being held captive by a mad man with a price on his head, and there was literally nothing she could do about it. The frustration rose as she wrapped her arms around herself, staring off into the clear blue skies of the Miami afternoon. Closing her eyes, she tried to ward off the impending doom, but it was no use. The lack of knowledge of her daughter's whereabouts provided her with no hope. At this point, all she could do was wait, and that was something that Calleigh Duquense never did well.

A solid grasp tore her away from the majestic skyline, her heart beating furiously. She stared into his dark brown eyes, seeing the validated concern and fear that encased him. Since hearing about Jacinda's abduction, she had been trying desperately to hold it together, but seeing the dismay in his gaze finally broke the walls and she fell into his arms, feeling the warmth as he encased her fully. The strength at which he held her melted her and she felt herself dissolve into quiet sobs as his grip tightened. She was comforted by knowing he was there, and that he understood what she was going through. The release was sudden, and she gripped onto his shoulder as if holding on for dear life as her sorrow filled the air.

"It's going to be okay, Calleigh. We will find her," he whispered into her ear. The softness of his voice coupled with the sensation of his breath on her ear caused her to shiver slightly. There had been a time that she knew this side of Tim, the gentle, compassionate person that she had come to love, and suddenly, she felt the truth in his words.

Opening her eyes, she was about to reply when she saw her standing, her hand to her lips as if to stave a scream. Calleigh pulled away completely, catching Tim's confused expression, her eyes going back to Robin. Tim followed her line of sight and saw her heartbreaking expression as she backed away slowly the big tears falling from her eyes. A grievous mistake had just been made.

"Robin..."

"You... you bastard," she spat as she shook her head wildly. " You made me think... you..."

"Robin, please. Let me explain," Tim pleaded as he approached her, his hands extended. Calleigh stood silently , her sights drawn to the ground as their problems again played out. The blame would go solely to her because of their history.

"Go to hell , Timothy," Robin intoned angrily as her accent thickened.

"Hey, there you are," Rory said as he walked up. Stopping in his tracks, he could see the anger in the woman's eyes as she passed and side stepped, watching Tim follow, " There's news."

"News?" Calleigh asked, advancing on Rory as Tim stopped and turned towards them both, then back to Robin watching as she neared the car. Calleigh gestured towards her, "Go , Tim. I will fill you in."

Tim nodded and raced after Robin, reaching her just as she opened the door. He slammed it shut forcibly, and Robin closed her eyes tightly as her hand rested on the top of the car, the stinging of the tears almost too much to bear. The scene replayed in her mind and she pulled against his hand only for him to replace it. The anger rose more as she turned to look at him, seeing the man whom she was ready to return to, to rekindle their love, then seeing her. The pain that was apparent in his eyes touched her for a moment before the image of them in each other's arms assaulted her once more, it being the final blow to her cause. She now wanted nothing more than to leave Miami and never come back.

He could read, instantly , her thoughts, and sighed heavily, "Would you just listen to me, Robin? You don't know what you saw."

"I don't know? I just saw you in the arms of your former lover, Timothy, a former lover that you've never really gotten over. I'd say that I know exactly what I just saw," Robin hissed turning to face him fully, her dark eyes boring a hole through him.

"It was out of context, Robin."

"Out of context? Tim, I'm not one of your lab buddies, I'm your wife, the mother of your children," Robin responded through her clenched teeth. Her anger was now mixing with her sorrow, "I've gone to hell and back because of you, Timothy. I've lost..."

"Robin," Tim tried once more, the heaviness of the moment almost taking his very breath away, "Slow down. Let's talk about this."

"Move, Tim," she growled, turning away from him. She couldn't get away from him fast enough. When he didn't , she repeated again, her tone turning icy, "I said, move , Tim."

He stared at her, feeling his heart breaking and put his hands up, stepping away as she flung the door open and got in. The ignition turned and the car idled expectantly as Tim fought for control over his emotions. He stood on the precipice of losing her again, and yet he had nothing to say, everything would come out wrong just for the sole fact that she was far past the point of believing anything he would say. A strained filled silence permeated the atmosphere and she gripped the wheel tighter, her eyes staring straight ahead.

"Good bye , Timothy."

With that simple statement, she closed the door and sped off, leaving Tim stunned. He watched as the car disappeared down the street, knowing the exact intentions of her good bye. Calleigh approached pensively as Rory stood back, eyeing his watch. The news of a suspicious car heading towards the Glades was working on him, and he was anxious to move. Jacinda's life hung in the balance.

"Tim?"

"Calleigh,"he warned slightly as he lifted his gaze to hers, seeing the sorrow replaced with what he could assume was hope. It would figure that she would gain something when he was on the verge of losing it all.

"I'm so sorry, Tim."

"She's gone, and this time, I don't think she's coming back," Tim responded hollowly as he glanced towards Rory. "He said something about news?"

"You can't be sure, Tim. Maybe if you explained..."

"What's the word?" Tim asked quickly, beginning to walk towards the building. Calleigh knew exactly what he was doing and released a strained sigh. He was shutting down once more, and now it would be impossible to get him to open up again.

"A state trooper called in a suspicious car, nearing the Everglades," Rory reported rapidly. "Everyone's getting ready to go out there."

"What's going down?" Tim asked as he looked to Calleigh who wanted to further her query about his situation. Now wasn't the time, and he wasn't sure when that time would ever occur again.

"I'll fill you in on the way," Calleigh answered as she kept in step with him. Time was of the essence now, and there was none to lose.

TBC...


	11. Chapter 11

The New Recruits: Suicide Kings

Chapter 11

The sounds of sirens filled the air as Milo glanced at his driver from the back of the SUV. He told him to slow it down, but just like everyone else who traveled through the Glades, the driver thought that because they were out of the city limits, he could open the hulking vehicle, in the process, passing a state trooper who was lying in wait. Jacinda watched silently as they tried to shake the trooper, dodging in and out of the numerous trails that peppered the land, until they had no choice but to push ahead forward. The deeper they got into the Glades, the more their options were dwindling. That thought was enough to erupt hope inside of her and she smiled faintly.

"What's so funny?" Milo growled as he fixed his eyes on her. Jacinda's smile quickly disappeared as she studied Milo, noticing for the first time, how well kept he looked. Usually, villainous people such as him didn't take care of themselves as he had and she thought for a quick second of all the girls that had taken his arm, not really knowing the truth behind him. But she knew, and she had seen, and as she saw Jake's now motionless body moving beside her, she knew the same fate would befall her if the wrong move was made.

"Nothing," Jacinda spoke as she placed a hand on her stomach, relieved that all this action hadn't caused problems. "Why are we here?"

"Disposal," Milo returned as he eyed Jacinda's movements, the gentle way she caressed her belly. It was a shame that she was going to have to die, he was human after all, and the thought of murdering a soon to be mother assaulted him, but it couldn't be helped. She had seen and heard way too much . "Why were you with this scum?"

Jacinda stopped massaging her stomach and looked to him, arching any eyebrow, "Ask him."

"Brilliant," Milo retorted as he watched the scenery go by. The absence of sound startled Jacinda as Milo leaned forward, "Morris, what's up?"

"I think I lost him," the driver replied proudly . The SUV slowed considerably and for the first time since meeting him, she saw Milo smile.

"Good."

The sound of his voice coupled with the sinister smile ran coldly through Jacinda's veins. If help didn't come soon, she was in trouble.

/CSI/

Rory gunned the Hummer as Tim held on to the door as the hulking vehicle swerved through the streets of Miami. He glanced fearfully at the young man, seeing a hint of his half brother as he stared intensely out at the road before him, his focus set on only one thing. Sensing that he was being stared at, Rory glanced to Tim then back to the road, a smirk riding his face. Pressing down on the gas, he screamed past the city limits, heading for the Glades. Once out in the open, Rory had slowed somewhat, and Tim released a breath and relaxed his grip on the door, noticing the pleasure that Rory was taking on his behalf.

"What?"

"You okay?" Rory asked with a smirk. " I mean, is your ticker still ticking?"

"Hilarious , Hutchinson," Tim returned cooly. "Driving is something you do often?"

"On occasion," Rory quipped , seeing the road block ahead. He slowed the Hummer and rolled the window down, coming face to face with a State Trooper, gesturing to his badge, " CSI Hutchinson. How far in is he?"

"CSI?" the trooper asked with a grin. "There's no crime scene."

"Not yet. So, are you through being a comedian? How far?" Rory questioned stonily.

"About four miles deep," the trooper returned dourly. "But my guy lost him a few minutes ago."

"Well, let's find him, shall we?" Rory asked as the trooper stood aside, letting the Hummer pass. The road block was moved and Tim shook his head, a chuckle escaping. Rory glanced at Tim, the faint memory of his first day on the job passing through him. He would've never thought he'd share the same camaraderie with the man as he did at the moment.

"What?"

"Swift, very swift," Tim answered as his phone came to life. The Hummer picked up speed as he flipped it up, speaking. After a moment , he turned to see an identical Hummer pulling behind them. The sight of her sitting in the driver's seat tugged at his conscious, she should've never been allowed to come.

As if reading his mind, Rory sighed heavily , switching his eyes back to the road, " Do you think it was a good thing to bring her along?"

"Personally, no. But, since when have you ever seen anyone tell Calleigh she couldn't do something?"

"That will be never," Rory responded noticing the track marks in the road, leading the other way. He stopped the vehicle and stared at them, while unbuckling his seat belt. Tim did the same , coming around the Hummer, seeing the confusion and anger flashing through her eyes as she attempted to get out as well.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice laced with venom.

"Rory saw something," Tim explained as he saw Raymond's Charger pull in behind the second Hummer. The state trooper's car approached from the opposite end, getting out quickly, his hand hovering over his piece. He had been the one in pursuit since the black SUV had appeared.

"I think we need to go this way," Rory stated , pointing down the pathway. Without another word, he jumped back in the Hummer and backed it up, turning the lumbering vehicle to the pathway.

Tim felt his adrenaline rush and turned to look back at the convoy, seeing her, the fear encasing her. Shaking his head, he mumbled, " Definitely not a good idea."

"I second you on that one. There's so many ways this can go bad," Rory answered as he stared at Tim.

"Let's make sure that it doesn't, okay?"

/CSI/

Robin burst through the door, slamming it hard , the tears streaming down her face. She could scarcely believe her eyes when she had seen them, intertwined in each other's arms. A wave of anger swept through her as she scene replayed itself in her head over and over again. Tossing the bag off of her shoulder, she threw it, hitting a lamp in the process. Ignoring the shattered lamp, she stalked over to the bed dissolving into cries of anguish. The pain of his indiscretion hit her once more and she contorted into herself further, wishing , for the first time ever, that she had never met him.

"Mom?" Mallory questioned through the door as she knocked. She had heard the slamming of the door in her room and promptly peeked out to see the blur that was her mother as she escaped to her room. " Mom, what's wrong? What happened?"

Robin continued to cry, the salt of her tears burning through the fresh wound to her heart. The bed sagged under her weight, startling Robin as she lifted her leg , seeing the genuine concern etched on her daughter's face. She had been so optimistic about coming home, it now hurt Robin anew to have to tell her that her happiness would be short lived. They were leaving, and they weren't going to return.

"Mom?"

"I saw him," Robin sniffled, trying to get a hold on her emotions. Despite the hole in her heart that was now deepening with every second, she knew she would have to be strong for her sake, the mere disappointment surely would break her heart. "He was with her."

"Her? With who, Mom?"

"Calleigh," Robin intoned darkly, " he was holding her."

"Mom..." Mallory started wearily, the pieces connecting easily.

"It's over, Mallory. I'm through with your father," Robin returned defiantly. "We are leaving and never coming back."

"Whoa, wait a minute , Mom."

"I can't be with him," Robin continued, wiping her eyes as her strength began to return. The sadness had , without a doubt taken root where hope had been. "I kept hoping that we could get past everything." The words hit Robin hard and she glared at her daughter for being so glib at a moment at this, shaking her head.

"There was nothing out of context. I saw what I saw, Mallory."

"Okay , then," Mallory said as she flipped the television on, finding the news. She sat back and crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at her mother. " Explain that."

Robin focused on the report running about Jacinda's disappearance and the possible link to the various murders that were happening around town. A look of shock replaced the anger and she sat in silence as Mallory adverted her eyes, having seen the majority of the reports already.

"Oh my God," Robin exasperated as the news went to a commercial. Mallory switched the television off and tossed the remote on the bed irritably. She had enough of her mother's renderings.

"If my daughter was missing, I'd look for comfort too," Mallory spoke, her tone tinged with a sharpness. She then faced her mother head on, " Mom, Dad loves you more than his own life. He would never do anything even remotely stupid to jeopardize the chance of getting back with you. What you need to do is trust him, and stop being so damned paranoid."

The sound of strength coming from her daughter shocked Robin almost speechless, " Mallory Beatrice..."

"Oh, don't Mallory Beatrice me, mother. Ever since RJ died, and possibly before, you've always looked for a reason to be mad at Dad. He's trying Mom, really trying, but you're not giving him the credit." Mallory sighed softly, realizing her tone was bordering on indignant . She thought for a moment before continuing on. " Mom, I'm sorry, but it's true. You're looking for a scape goat so that you won't have to deal. Problem is, that one day, you will have to, and you might end up alone."

The words struck Robin and she looked away, suddenly realizing the truth in Mallory's words. She had been looking for a way to escape the pain and thought of not being enough for Tim. Even though she had spent half her life with him, she had always carried the notion that she wasn't good enough for him, just a back up plan for his failed love with Calleigh. The opposite , however, had been true; Tim had loved her, and loved her well through out the years of marriage and while it was far from perfect, there had never been a moment that he hadn't made her the cornerstone of his life.

"I'm such an idiot," Robin breathed out, wiping her eyes harshly, " A complete, blubbering idiot."

"No need to call names, Mom. You're just an emotional woman. Very emotional."

"That's how you refer to insanity?" Robin asked with a faint smile. She took Mallory into her arms, holding on to her tightly. " Thank you, Mallory."

"You're welcome, Mom. And cool it with this talk of leaving. As I see it, you have some work to do."

Robin held on to Mallory tighter, a warm feeling erupting inside. She was going to be there to help put the pieces back together again, and start over.

/CSI/

"Well, Jen, this is it, I guess," Dr. Smith said with a grin as he pushed away from his desk. He had wanted to see Jen one last time before discharging her, to give her last minute pointers and support. The very last thing he wanted to see was Jen reverting to the state that she came to him in. He was very lucky that he was able to reach her when she had been so far gone. As he looked at the young woman now, however, he saw a fighter, one who now emerged stronger than ever. He wasn't going to fool himself, there wasn't a magic pill that was going to make her forget the pain and dismay, but with the program he had undertaken with her, he was sure that she would be able to fair out much better than she had.

Jen returned his smile as she rose as well, the overwhelming feeling of joy running through her. The moment had finally come where she could honestly say that she was ready, after six months, she was ready to become apart of society once more. Her stay at the facility was productive as much as it was therapeutic, and she really felt that she could handle whatever was waiting out there to greet her. Granted, she realized that there would be times that it would be harder than others, but she knew the tools now, and was taught how to use them. She also knew that she wasn't alone in any of it.

"Yeah, Doc, it's time for me to go," Jen beamed , extending her hand. "I cannot thank you enough."

"The work was all you, Jen. All you needed was guidance."

Jen nodded as he released her hand. Swiftly, he went into his pocket, producing a locket and she felt the tears well inside. When she came, all she had was a locket that was around her neck, and contained inside was a picture of the three of them when they were children. Reaching out, she took it in hand and smiled lightly , her fingers lightly tracing the intricate detail on the outside. She had given it to Dr. Smith because she couldn't handle the memories that was encased in the tiny piece of jewelry, but now, she welcomed them.

"Thank you," she said softly, the slightest hint of tears lacing her voice.

Dr. Smith returned with a small gesture and fished into his pocket once more, producing a pad this time. He quickly scribbled a prescription down and handed it towards her, seeing instantly, the dubious look rise.

"It's just for precautions, Jen. I know you want to go back to the lab one day. But just in case things get a little too edgy, you know?"

"I know," she huffed somewhat. For a long time she had functioned well without the drugs and even thought clearer without them. But she knew that her meltdown had posed a reliability problem, and she didn't want to further it by showing her dependence on drugs. The fight was going to be difficult as it was.

"Everything's going to be alright, Jen. Remember take it one step at a time, and..."

"Rome wasn't build in a day," Jen finished knowingly. It had become her credo while staying here, and she fully intended on utilizing it when she got out into the world once more.

"Exactly," Dr. Smith responded fully. He walked her to the door, a pensive hand guiding her and opening the door. As if an after thought, he stopped her, and furrowed his brow in question, "Have you heard from your friend?"

The thought of Jacinda entered her mind and she sighed heavily, the sliver of darkness trying to come to the surface. With much effort, she pushed it back down, and steadied herself. Her father had kept her in the loop and she was satisfied in knowing that everything was being done to get her back safely.

"I haven't, but, I 'm sure she will be found safe," Jen returned strongly.

Dr. Smith smiled harder and gently nodded as she began to walk out, seeing the strong gait and sighing. The challenge lain ahead for her, but he was sure she would meet it head on.

TBC...


	12. Chapter 12

The New Recruits: Suicide Kings

Chapter 12

Jacinda winced as she stumbled over an upturned root, barely catching herself from falling. Milo glared at her coldly as he yanked her roughly by the arm, causing her to cry out in pain. He ignored her cries and shoved her forcefully forward, his anger pouring out. What he had deemed only a few hours worth of work, was now suddenly turning into an all day thing , and he wasn't the least bit pleasant about it. They had been walking for some time, and his SUV hadn't been in sight since then. Jake's body had been left near it and now Jacinda started to worry that the reason for going deeper in the Glades was to dispose of her. That thought alone made her blood run cold, and she shivered slightly despite the unbearable heat that now encased them. She didn't want to meet her fate this day, not when the future was so bright with new possibilities. Her pulse quickened as she glanced from side to side as they kept moving, searching frantically for a way out. Milo stopped suddenly, sticking his arm out before Jacinda. Sighing heavily, he turned in every direction, his brow furrowing. Jacinda began to smirk at the realization that he was lost.

"Damn this," Milo huffed as he turned to Morris, "You remember where the truck is?"

"Got me , Boss," Morris replied simply , shrugging his shoulders.

"Lost?" Jacinda asked, barely able to contain herself.

"Is this funny to you?" Milo breathed out , pulling a gun from his trousers. The cold glare burned through Jacinda as he pressed the barrel to her temple, pushing hard. Her expression quickly dropped as she closed her eyes, kicking herself mentally for being so stupid; she knew not to antagonize in a situation like this. The fear wafted off of her and his sinister smile resurfaced. "I didn't think so. Move."

Jacinda did as she was told and started moving. The trails became less traveled and the atmosphere was like a vacuum , the absence of sound, life, unnerving to her. The deeper they moved, the less likely they were to find them. A sudden lurch in her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten in over twenty four hours and she stopped , clutching to her belly. Without notice, she emptied the remaining contents of her stomach out, heaving violently on to the bacteria infected ground water nearby. Milo groaned as she bent over once more, again releasing. When she finished, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, a sudden thought racing through her mind. There could be a way out of this if she played her cards right. Gathering all her strength, she waited until she heard them both approach closer, the twigs in the underbrush snapping loudly.

"Ugh, gross," Morris exclaimed as he bent closer, "Ah, Boss..."

"Women," Milo muttered loudly. Too much time had been wasted already and his tolerance level was dropping rapidly. He moved behind Morris, gesturing to Jacinda, "Get her and let's get this done."

"But, Milo," Morris started, crinkling his brow. He could handle head shots, even body dismemberment, but there was just something about the current situation that made him queasy.

"Are you kidding me? Get her and let's go. Now!"

Just as Milo demanded, Jacinda swung around, throwing all of her weight into Morris, causing him to fall back on Milo. Jacinda exploited the moment and took off, not certain where it would lead her. As long as it was away from those two, she was satisfied.

Seconds later, the sounds of bullets whizzing by, startled Jacinda and she dodged them as best she could, ducking and covering her head while moving. A sizzling sensation burned through her arm and knocked her against a tree. Breathing hard, she took a moment to assess the situation, seeing the blood dripping down her arm. Wincing, she tried to get up, taking a deep breath pushing herself further. Just as she was about to sprint away, she heard the all too familiar sound of a round being chambered, the cold steel pressing up against her skull.

"Nice try, cupcake," Milo intoned darkly. "My patience is at an end , and so is your life."

Jacinda closed her eyes tightly, readying herself for the impending darkness. She had tried and failed to win her freedom, now the price would be paid.

/CSI/

"They could be anywhere," Rory offered as he walked steadily, his piece extended in front of him. He and Tim had decided to go straight through the area while the others took the perimeter. " I hate this place."

"Oh, I don't know, it's a sunny locale, quiet, serene even," Tim quipped as he moved alongside, a smirk riding his face. The moment was ill tempered for the light conversation, but he couldn't think about the ramifications if they were too late. The lives of his grandchild and a very good friend were on the line. Rory glanced over at him, arching an eyebrow as Tim shrugged his shoulders, continuing to move. "Now, that can't be good," Tim said looking further ahead seeing the black SUV , it's doors partially open.

"Not good at all," Rory responded, lifting his gun up more. They walked faster, coming up on the vehicle, checking it from all sides. When it was apparent that it was abandoned, Rory took a look around, dropping his gun in frustration. The Glades was a confusing place to be, with a numerous amount of wildlife animals that chose to make it their home as well as the bacteria that was present at nearly every turn and every tree looking the same. With a harsh sigh, he crouched down, seeing something, "Hey, Speed , look at this."

Tim came closer, crouching as well, peering at the item, "Looks like a plastic of some sort."

Rory nodded, his eyes sweeping over the area more intensely, seeing something up ahead. " I bet I know what it's for."

Tim looked up as Rory gestured to the dark mass lying some what in the trail, " Disposal. Make the call, Rory."

The sounds of shots being fired startled them and they both raised their guns in anticipation, looking in the direction that it seemed to have come from. Rory ripped through the trails, with Tim behind him, towards the sounds, his heart pumping. The gunfire became louder and Rory turned past a tree, seeing her sitting on the ground holding her arm, the blood running through her fingers. He raised his gun stepping closer, as she rose to her feet, preparing to run again. The sight of whom he assumed to be Milo approaching behind her, the gun centered on the back of her head, caused his heart to beat insanely faster, his feet moving involuntarily.

"Miami PD! Put your hands up!" he yelled as he inched forward. The sudden intrusion brought Jacinda into Milo's arms, her fear now clearly visible to Rory. His heart hurt at the sight of her in his clutches, her face stained with tears and dirt. "Let her go."

"Who, her?" Milo asked as he gripped her in the crook of his left arm while the gun trained steadily on her temple. The tears spilled onto her face again as she held his arm, her eyes pleading for release. Rory tightened his grip on his firearm, closing his eyes for a second, and refocusing. "She's kinda fun to have around. Real spunky. I think I will keep her."

Milo backed up , keeping his eyes on Rory as Tim came beside him, his weapon trained on him as well. Milo smiled heavily as he saw Morris appear from behind them, first swinging at Tim, knocking him into a tree, then heading for Rory. Rory took a second to check on Tim, noticing his slow movements. That second was all it took for Rory to be bested and Morris pulled back, slamming his fist against Rory's cheek, the force sending him backwards. Not relenting , Morris continued to move forward, a smile playing on his face. Rory put a hand to his mouth, pulling back to see blood and looked up at Morris.

"You are going to be so mad at me," Rory said straightforward , getting up.

"Tough guy, huh?" Morris asked, moving. A shot rang out and Morris stopped short, Rory looking in Tim's direction. He had gotten up and filled his hand with his gun, holding his head. The gun wavered slightly before gaining a full steady bead on the hulking man.

"Not so tough after all, are we?" Rory chided as he spun around to see them gone. He picked up his weapon and trained it on Morris. "Where is he headed?"

"I dunno, and he doesn't either."

Tim threw a glance at Rory, "They can get lost pretty fast."

"I'm going after them," Rory stated as he started to walk away.

"Rory! Wait for back up," Tim ordered , handcuffing Morris.

"It might be too late," Rory called as he trotted away, leaving Tim with Morris. Tim shook his head as he searched his pockets for his cell, making the call. Rory was going to need all the back up he could get.

/CSI/

"Did you hear that?" Calleigh asked Raymond as they moved deeper into the center of the area. Despite their agreement to search the perimeter, Calleigh thought it best to cover the side that Tim and Rory couldn't get to, her hopes being that she could spot her daughter and her captive before anything serious went down. She steadied her arm, her eyes focused intently in front of her as she heard the quick movements rustling in the brush. A blur passed and she switched her sights to them quickly, seeing a glimmer of her blond hair. "Ray..."

"I saw her , Cal. Let's go."

/CSI/

"Keep up!" Milo demanded as he yanked her by her arm, causing her to cry out in pain. His mind raced with a solution to the predicament that he was now in ; the cops hot on his trail and with every turn, it seemed as if he was getting deeper and deeper into the Glades, becoming more lost than he was before. At least he had a head start, thanks in part to Morris, but he was sure that there were more than two of them roaming through , and that was cutting his escape options down to nothing. "Dammit!"

Jacinda struggled with Milo, the surge of hope coursing through her veins. Knowing that Rory was in pursuit gave her a burst of energy, but she was mindful that Milo still held a certain sway. She eyed the pistol in his hand then glanced to his frustrated expression and relented. Milo was now a time bomb waiting to explode. Their forward motion was stopped as Milo stood stark still before turning around wildly. There was no where else to turn; they were surrounded by water on either side. The sounds of the pursuant neared and Milo pulled Jacinda closer to him , again, cradling her neck within the crook of his arm, pressing the gun into her temple.

"You don't have to do this," Jacinda offered , the tremble in her voice betraying her desire to remain confident. If ever there was a time that she was frightened, now was that time. "Just give yourself up."

"I won't go to prison," Milo responded through clenched teeth. Jacinda closed her eyes at the proclamation, her sliver of hope fleeting. He dug the barrel of the gun deeper into her skull, " I suggest, lovely, that you stand very still."

"Mr. Senti," a voice called as they approached steadily, their guns trained on him. Jacinda opened her eyes to the sound of the familiar voice, her heart leaping.

"Mom," Jacinda cried out softly, seeing her mother's intending target. Never had she wanted to embrace her as much as she did now. "Mom, please."

"Everything's going to be alright, sweetie," Calleigh assured as her eyes gravitated to her bloodied arm, "Jacinda, baby, are you alright?"

"She's fine," Milo answered , pulling her in front of him, shielding him completely. "Now, for how long depends on who makes the first move. That's far enough,_ Mom._"

Calleigh came to an abrupt stop, her gaze never leaving them. From this vantage point, Milo had successfully insured his safety ; Calleigh couldn't possibly make the shot with out hitting Jacinda in the process, and she wasn't prepared to risk it. Raymond glanced at Calleigh in confusion as she gestured for him to stand down.

"What do you want?"Calleigh asked succinctly. Her eyes never faltered, trying to convey to her daughter the hope that still remained of getting out of this in one piece. The look that was reflected back to her was one of doubt, the glimmer of hope falling swiftly.

"A way out," Milo responded simply, cutting into Calleigh's thoughts. " get me out of here, and she lives. I'll drop her on my way out of this hell hole."

"What makes us think that you can be trusted , Milo?" Raymond interjected, searching for an opening .

"She's not dead yet, is she? I think I've proven my trust. Drop your weapons." Calleigh and Raymond traded glances, the sounds of the approaching sirens starting to permeate through the area. Milo shook Jacinda more as he demanded again, " I said, drop your weapons."

Reluctantly, they both tossed their service nines and Milo began to push past them, holding Jacinda out forward while Calleigh watched helplessly. She was close enough to reach out and grab her, but she dared not. Raymond looked on as they made their way past, the disgust evident in his demeanor. If Milo was allowed passage out of the Glades, they would be picking up Jacinda's corpse off of the dusty highway.

A sudden movement from the side , startled Calleigh and Raymond, both seeing the familiar nine millimeter attached to the even more familiar arm of Rory. He kept the gun trained on the couple, his heart racing.

"Don't move another step, Milo," Rory commanded through clenched teeth. "You've offically pissed me off."

Milo spun Jacinda around, again planting her squarely in front of him, his rapid movements pushing a cry from Jacinda. Rory felt a pang of sadness at the sight of her fear laden eyes, but steadied his grip even more. No one could afford the luxury of his emotions at this point.

"You guys just don't get it , do you? What is it that you don't understand ; I've got a gun. To her head. I will kill her."

Rory watched as each word was punctuated by the barrel digging in further to her temple causing Jacinda to weep more. He saw him move ever so slightly, an opportunity presenting itself. His eyes connected with Jacinda's , giving her a faint smile and she returned it, at that moment, knowing that everything was going to work out.

"I don't think you want to do that, Milo," Rory remarked dryly, retaining his focus on his target. Milo shifted an inch over, and Rory smiled, breathing in deeply.

"You must don't know me," Milo said as he cocked the hammer back.

A single shot rang and Jacinda fell into Milo, knocking them backwards , Calleigh standing shocked as Rory slowly lowered his gun. He waited as Calleigh pushed away Milo's gun and gazed downward at Jacinda, her eyes glistening with newfound tears. The anticipation was heavy, the atmosphere cloaked in silence; everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.

"Jacinda! Jacinda!" Calleigh called, the dread evident in her voice. A sudden, but stiff movement relieved her, and she took her into her arms gently, embracing her tightly. "Are you okay, baby?"

"I'm fine, Mom," Jacinda replied softly, her voice weakening.

Raymond walked over to the body, crouching down, seeing the gunshot wound over the right eyebrow, his eyes open but empty. He shook his head and clicked his tongue, returning his gaze to Rory who stood still, a small grin coming over him.

"Remind me to never piss you off," Raymond snickered as he rose, approaching Rory. He gave him a pat on his shoulder, " Good damn shot, Rory. Guess this means that we can't call you newbie anymore, huh?"

Rory chuckled as Raymond passed, his eyes steadying on Jacinda and Calleigh. It relieved him to no end that she was alright, shaken, but none the worse for wear. Pensively, he approached, seeing the icy glare that Calleigh threw, preparing for an apology. It was very apparent that she was none too happy with him.

"Just what the hell were you thinking, Rory? You could've killed her!"

"I saw a shot, I took it," Rory responded gently, gazing down at her. His heart flipped at the mere sight of her , his stomach flipping. He had finally felt the pang of love coursing through his veins.

"You took it?" Calleigh asked incredulously as she glared at him harder. "Rory..."

Jacinda raised a hand to her mother, grabbing her attention, " Mom, I'm alive. Rory saved me, so give him a break, will ya?"

Calleigh sighed as she looked to Rory again, her worry succumbing to a tear laced smile. She couldn't stay angry at him, he had in fact saved her life, "Okay, let's get you to a hospital," she said quietly, her accent thickening somewhat as she moved, holding Jacinda close to her.

Jacinda stopped just before passing Rory, reaching to touch his arm, " Thank you, Rory. And nice shot."

Rory felt the warmth in her touch and nodded his head, a smile surfacing quickly, " I couldn't let you down."

With nothing else, Jacinda let her mother guide her to the approaching medics. Tim was a step behind them, his relief very apparent upon seeing Jacinda. Rory watched as he embraced Jacinda and relinquished her to the paramedics, then sharing an intense filled gaze with Calleigh. Rory instantly saw the connection and smiled. Back in their day, he was sure that Tim and Calleigh were a force to be reckoned with. As the paramedics left with Jacinda and Calleigh in tow, Tim moved towards the scene, his eyes gravitating to the former Milo Senti. Taking a breath, he glanced up at Rory, who was staring at the body as well.

"So, you?" Tim asked, gesturing to Milo.

"Yeah, me," Rory responded, a low chuckle erupting as he peeled his eyes from the body. He looked straight at Tim, arching an eyebrow, "Surprised?"

"Well, judging by the way you drive, I figured your expertise lain somewhere else. Glad it was firearms." Rory laughed as Tim clapped his shoulder, " Nice shot, Rory. I bet Calleigh is pissed."

"She wasn't too thrilled that I pointed and shot at her daughter, but I think that she is okay."

"Okay, huh?" Tim returned with raised eyebrows. "That's a first."

"One of many, apparently," Rory returned with a broad smile, sighing heavily," Finally, I can go home. After I see Jacinda at the hospital, that is."

This time, it was Tim's turn to laugh as he turned towards the approaching uniforms, prepared to flood the area, "Going to sleep much?"

"For eternity," Rory replied quickly with a snicker as he followed Tim.

Maddison met them with a smile and nodded as she continued on towards the scene, following through with protocol. She, for one, was over joyed that it was finally over, the game coming to and end, and for the four kings finding their fate.

TBC...


	13. Chapter 13

The New Recruits: Suicide Kings

Chapter 13

Rory pushed through the doors of the emergency room, his eyes searching desperately for any signs of Calleigh. After giving his statement, he headed for the hospital, his thoughts solely on Jacinda. From the outset, he knew that she was okay, but there was just something nagging him, and he had to make sure. If he was going to get a wink of sleep tonight, he had to see for himself that she was okay.

Walking deeper into the emergency bay, he turned on his heels, seeing the sick and infirm as they waited patiently ,and some not so patiently, to be seen. Realizing that he could be all night at this, he headed for the admittance window and pulled his badge, placing it in front of him unceremoniously. He cleared his throat and smiled, the admitting nurse continuing to type away at the computer.

"Be right with you, sir," she stated dryly, still typing. Rory shifted his weight and stared at her, then glancing at his watch irritably. Just as he was about to say something, she stopped and looked up, a bright smile donning her face, "How can I help you, sir?"

"Ah, yes, I'm looking for Jacinda Willison," Rory informed calmly. "She was brought in maybe an hour ago."

"Are you any relation to her, brother, husband?" the nurse asked as she set about more tasks. Rory released a frustrated breath, trying vainly not to key in on the incessant movement. When he shook his head, she frowned , "Sorry , sir, but we can only release information to next of kin only. If you could wait in the waiting room,..."

Before Rory could reply, the doors leading to the treatment rooms opened and Calleigh walked through, wiping her eyes . He reached out to touch her, startling her somewhat as he saw the full brunt of concern in her glittering green eyes. His heart sunk at the thought of any harm coming to Jacinda, and he prepared himself for the worst.

"Calleigh? How is she, is she alright?" Rory asked rapidly.

"She's fine, Rory. They are keeping her over night just to make sure. The baby, surprisingly , is doing fine. It's a miracle."

"I'll say," Rory responded, releasing a shaky breath. He couldn't help but feel like Calleigh was holding out and he pulled her to the side, " Calleigh?"

"I don't know why I'm crying, they said that she was going to be fine," Calleigh laughed as she continued to wipe at her eyes. "It's just... I came so close to losing her, you know, Rory? I keep thinking that if things didn't go down the way they did, I would be going to identify her body."

"But you're not, and Jacinda's okay," Rory offered, kindly. A moment passed and Rory asked, "So, what's the damage?"

"Her arm was grazed and the laceration to her chest was superficial," Calleigh reported seeing him as he entered the door. The glare that was riding her ex-husband's face was one she could do without, but knew she deserved. She had tried to keep him out of the loop for so long, it was now coming back on her. Glancing back at Rory, she grinned, "Time to face the music. Oh, she's in room 220."

Rory acknowledged as Calleigh parted, meeting Philip halfway. He could easily see the tension building as she spoke to him, the signs of an argument being very apparent. Rory's thoughts shifted as he found an elevator and waited, the surrounding area silent. It was in this silence that he took a moment to really think on how much Jacinda meant to him, and if he really was falling in love with her as his heart was telling him. The bell on the elevator pulled him out of his silent musings, and he stepped into the lift, pressing the button . He now knew exactly how he felt for Jacinda.

/CSI/

Alexx pulled the sheet off of the body, shaking her head as she jotted notes on her clipboard. For three days, these boys ran rough shot over her city, and now, here they were in her domain , where they had sent their victims._ Poetic justice_, she thought as she tossed the sheet over Trevor, whom she now knew was Jake. Placing the clipboard down and moving on to Milo, she pulled the sheet down to reveal the well placed shot to the skull. Instantly , her mind went to Jacinda, thankful that Rory had been there to save her. Jacinda represented new life to both Calleigh and Tim, and Alexx rationalized that if they had lost her and the child that she was carrying, their collective lives would've ended. Making more notations, she heard the door swing open and gestured to the last remaining slab , her eyes never leaving the clip board.

"Just leave him right there," she said as she heard the footsteps coming closer.

"Alexx,..." came his voice, soft, full of emotion. Alexx stopped what she was doing and looked up, seeing the despair in his eyes.

Moving quickly, she put the clip board down and slipped off the gloves, "Tim? What is it? What's wrong?"

Tim didn't say anything, standing there, his expression bordering on tears as Alexx moved closer to him, placing a hand on his arm. Her touch sent his emotions into over drive, everything that had happened in the past twenty four hours, now hitting him at one time. Silently, Alexx took him into her arms and held him tightly. When he wanted, he would tell her what was going on, but until then Alexx was content on just being there for him. It was what mattered most.

/CSI/

Jacinda stared into the dark skies of Miami, a sole tear traveling down her face. She winced slightly as the IV in her hand caught on the sheet and closed her eyes tightly. So much had transpired, she could scarcely believe that she had survived it, survived Jake. When he had taken her from her home, Jacinda thought surely that this time he would be successful in finishing what he started four years ago. Little did she know that Jake had been busy and his past had come back to haunt him. Getting to Jacinda was just a way of escape, but of course, Jacinda didn't know that. For all she knew , he was going to take her life, and not be very friendly about it. She remembered the cases that the team was working on, and it had been explained to her by her mother that Jake had a hand in all of them. To know that she was in the arms of a killer scared Jacinda, even now, despite seeing for herself that Jake was now dead, she still felt the residual fear that had coursed through her body during her captivity. Somehow, she had been lucky enough to come through it alive.

"It wasn't luck," she said aloud. The words hung in the air, a long sigh coming after them. Luck wasn't the word that she thought of when she thought of Rory. She had seen almost instantly , his attraction to her, and from the start, she wanted to keep it as platonic as possible. But that was starting to prove to be hard. Before she went out on maternity leave, Jacinda and Rory had been partnered up on many cases, getting to know each other just that much more. And the more she spent time with him, the more she began to thaw to the possibility of him in her life. Robert had been her love, but now with him gone, she knew that she would have to move on, even if it hurt. With Rory, it became plausible to do so.

"What wasn't luck?" a voice said from the door. Startled, Jacinda looked towards him, a broad smile blazing across her face as she tried to sit up more. Rory moved quickly, putting his hands out as he came beside her, "No, no moving."

"Why aren't you at home? I hear about your marathon shift. You should be getting some sleep," Jacinda said as she gazed at him. Suddenly, her heart came alive, and she smiled harder. "I'm amazed that you are still walking on your own. When's the last time you've seen a pillow?"

"It's been over twenty four hours, I can tell you that," Rory answered as he sat down. "But to answer the first of your many questions, I couldn't go home and rest well without knowing for sure that you were okay."

"Well, hot shot, as you can see, I am," she replied, her usage of RJ's nick name bringing about a small pang of grief. Shaking it off, she refocused, "So, where did you learn to shoot like that?"

"Years of wanting a bb gun, and well, being a firearms expert tends to help out too."

Jacinda laughed and Rory felt his face flush as he gazed at her steadily. She turned to him and smirked shyly clearing her throat, her southern accent slipping some, " Mr. Hutchinson, I do believe you are staring at me."

"Yes, I am," Rory countered steadily, his eyes pleading for her full attention. "Jacinda, I've wanted to say this for a long time, but you are..."

Jacinda reached and put a finger to his lips, shaking her head, " No life changing revelations tonight, Rory."

Rory took her hand into his and smiled as he let his gaze fall on her IV, a light chuckle coming from him, "Alright, no life changing revelations. Can I say one thing though?"

"Sure," Jacinda returned, a yawn interrupting. Finishing, she grinned, "sorry."

"No worries. What I was going to say was,..."

A sudden knock pulled them away from each other as a nurse entered , a frown on her face. Rory got up and moved out of the way as she pushed a cart over to Jacinda, "Young man, you aren't supposed to be up here. Are you a relative?"

"Ah, yeah, I'm her husband," Rory quipped , a huge smirk appearing. Jacinda gasped in surprise, her eyes wide as he crossed his arms, "Isn't that right , honey?"

Jacinda had no choice but to answer, her voice intertwined with laughter, "Ah, yeah , sure sweetie pie."

"Aww, how long have you been married?" the nurse asked as she went about her tasks, an easy smile replacing the frown.

"Two...four years," they both said quickly. Jacinda burst into uncontrollable laughter as Rory straightened up in light of the nurse's confused expression. He clarified, "Ah, what my lovely wife means is that we've known each other for four years, been married for two. Right, honey cakes?"

Jacinda nodded her head as she tried to gather herself, her eyes watering from the laughter. _Honey cakes?_

"Oh, well at any rate, Mr..."

"Hutchinson," Rory answered cooly.

"Hutchinson? But I thought her name was Willison?"

"Hey," Jacinda managed as she turned from Rory. If she looked at him, she would start up again, "I'm an independent woman, what can I say?"

Rory snickered as the nurse shook her head, "Alright, well, like I said, at any rate, visiting hours are over. You can come back and see your wife in the morning, Mr. Hutchinson."

Rory nodded as he made ready to move out the door but not before Jacinda called out, "Honey, be careful! Love ya!"

"Love ya too," he replied, his heart tripling. He smiled as she gestured towards him to come back and he moved to her side, leaning down. She kissed him gently on his cheek and he pulled back his eyes never leaving her. In what had started out in jest was now a totally different story. He had felt something in that kiss. "Just something to remember me by."

"Oh, believe me, I could never forget you," he whispered. Jacinda stared at him without blinking , the moment taking on another tone. She suddenly felt her heart drop into her stomach, putting her fingers to her lips. He smiled faintly as he nodded, "Goodnight, Jacinda."

"Goodnight, Rory," she replied, her gaze fixed on his. The tension was thick and the nurse sat by silently as Rory waved before opening the door and exiting.

"Ooh, he just oozes sexiness," she said with a giggle. "He's a keeper, honey."

"I know," she said as she kept her eyes on the door. "I know."

TBC...


	14. Chapter 14

The New Recruits: Suicide Kings

Chapter 14

"Have you talked to Dad yet?" Mallory asked as she sat next to her mother, pouring a bowl of cereal. The silence that encased the room told her that she hadn't, seeing the sheepish expression that she now wore, as it inched across her face. With a frustrated sigh, she added, "What are you waiting for, Mom? It's been , what, three days now? Do you want him to think it's over?"

Robin's expression turned quickly, her eyes narrowing in a stern gaze, "You may have had a point young lady, but I will not continue to take that tone from you." Mallory groaned slightly as she dropped her spoon in her cereal, her desire to eat suddenly leaving her. Robin sighed heavily as she looked away, her eyes gravitating to the patio door that led out to the beautiful Miami morning, the wind blowing softly through the white sheers. All night she had thought about where she and Tim were, and all night she constantly reminded herself that she had been the one to put them in this predicament. If only she had taken the time out to listen, to understand, they wouldn't be at odds with one another. "If you must know, I'm scared."

"Scared?" Mallory asked, her eyes lifting to her mother. Never in all her years did she even see a hint of fear in her mother, but sitting in front of her now, she could see the tiny vestiges of that fear as it permeated through her. "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid of what may happen, what your Dad may do. I've practically left him no choice," Robin returned hesitantly, running a hand through her hair as she got up and started towards the patio doors. She could hear the chair scraping against the floor as Mallory followed her and coming to rest next to her as she stared out into the clearness of the morning. She had hoped that with the coming of morning, the assurance of things working out would arrive as well, but deep in her heart, she felt as if she had taken that last perilous step, the step that would tear them apart forever.

Mallory saw the tears forming in her mother's eyes and wrapped her arm around her waist, "Mom, don't be. Dad loves you, very much. He wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

"But I've done plenty to him," Robin retorted, sniffling. She wiped at her eyes as she turned to the patio door once more, her hope dashing with every thought, " Instead of standing beside him, I up and left. Instead of listening to reasoning, I jumped to conclusions. I've cut him off at every chance. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't blame him if he didn't want me back."

"Tell him," Mallory simply said as she held on to her tightly. The conflict that resided in her mother was deep and it was somewhat frightening. She knew that her mother loved her father, and she would've hated if they couldn't put aside old arguments and try to start anew all because of fear.

"I beg your pardon?" Robin asked, crinkling her brow as she looked to her daughter. It seemed like over night, she had blossomed into maturity.

"Tell him . Tell him you're sorry, tell him you're afraid, but for god sakes, mother, tell him. He'll never know if you don't tell him."

The words resonated with Robin as she turned her gaze back into the blue skies of Miami, a faint smile coming across her face. Mallory was right ; in order to regain a sense of what their marriage was, she had to talk to him. A feeling of urgency hit her and she moved suddenly, startling Mallory.

Hurrying into her room, she called out, " Get dressed Mallory. We've got somewhere to go ."

Mallory smiled as she moved towards her room, her heart now filled with hope. This day could not end without them returning to each other.

/CSI/

Jacinda gazed out into the blue skies, her mind set adrift on the waves that she could hear crashing from the beach. So much had happened within a matter of days, and it was now starting to overwhelm her. Her life seemed to be moving at a radical pace, seeing it captured in the hands of Jake, not knowing if he was going to end it, and then practically falling into Rory's, feeling the compassion and love with his saving grace. The myriad of emotions tumbling inside of her didn't make it any easier, if anything, it made it that much harder to decifer what feelings were real. She could easily see that Rory was in love with her, and there were some strong feelings for him surging through her as well. She didn't want to move on those feelings if they were just her whacked out emotions talking. She wanted to make sure that it was real.

The soft sound of a knock proceeded by the door opening slowly ,caught her attention and she wiped her eyes as she came in more, a hestiant smile coming about her. Jacinda tried to reposition herself and winced slightly as she moved stiffly. Her body had been through so much in so little time, she was amazed that she still had any control over it. With the emergence of her in the room, Jacinda smiled brightly, her hand coming out to meet her best friend.

"Jen! When did you get out?" Jacinda asked as Jen walked over, pulling a stray hair back behind her ear. Jen sat down next to her and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly as she smiled more, her own tears beginning to form. Jacinda reached up and caught one before it fell, frowning slightly, " Aw, Jen, don't cry. I'm alright. See?" Jacinda said, holding up her hand, "Flesh and bone."

"I'm just so glad," Jen tried as she stood up to embrace her. Jacinda closed her eyes at the feeling of her best friend's arms coming around her neck, feeling the tears treading down her face. She had heard that Jen's quick thinking had started the ball rolling in finding her. Jen encased her tighter as she continued, " I'm just so glad that you are alright. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't made it, Jacinda."

"I did , thanks to you. I heard you called Horatio . I have to ask, Jen, what tipped you off?"

Jen pulled away from her and wiped at her eyes, " You hung up on me. You never hang up on me. Ever."

Jacinda shuddered as she remembered that night, it seeming almost like a dream. At the moment, she wasn't thinking, just doing. She was glad that Jen was as observant as she was. The gratitude enlightened her and she nodded towards her, a quizzical expression taking over.

"So, now that you are out, are you coming back to the lab?"

Jen chuckled some as she shook her head, turning to gaze out the window. Countless of times she had asked herself that same question, and as always her answer remained that she just didn't know.

"I don't know, Jacinda. Honestly, I want to, but I don't want to rush anything, ya know? I want to be a hundred percent when I get back, and right now, I know that I'm not there. But we will see."

She returned to look at Jacinda, her smile coming back, "But never mind me, how are you doing? I see you are growing by leaps and bounds."

"Six months into it," Jacinda said wistfully as she placed a hand on her stomach. "Sometimes, I wish that RJ could be here. He never knew that I was pregnant, he would've gotten a kick out of it."

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around him as a Dad," Jen interjected , snickering , raising her hand to her lips, " I mean really, Jacinda, RJ."

"Yeah, I know. Hey, remember when we were in school, he took that home economics class with us?"

"And he was the first one to raise his hand to get his baby pumpkin for the family research project."

"Surprised the hell out of me ,how good he took care of that pumpkin," Jacinda laughed heartily as she remembered those days fondly. The laughter died down and they both settled into a serene silence, their collective memories flooding them both. "I miss him so much, Jen."

"So do I," Jen returned , sighing. She grasped on to Jacinda's hand and squeezed it, "He's always going to be around, Jacinda. But, hey, what's this I hear about you and Rory? Is there something there?"

"And where did you hear this?" Jacinda asked, arching an eyebrow, grinning.

"My Dad kept me in the loop. He says that before you went out on maternity leave, you and Rory were getting kinda chummy. And, he just saved you didn't he?"

"Jen..."

"It's alright, you know, to move on. It's not like there's going to be a thunderbolt with your name on it or anything. Rory sounds like he could be good for you," Jen said sternly.

Jacinda smiled broadly at her friend, then taking a glance out the window, her mind steadying on the thought of having Rory in her life. She would handily admit that Rory would be good for her in many ways, but at the moment, she didn't know if she could handle it ; only time would tell for her, but she wasn't closing that door altogether.

"Well, let's just see how things progress, shall we?" Jacinda stated with a pat on Jen's hand. "So, tell me about your stay."

The door opened and both looked towards it, seeing Calleigh enter. Jen rose with a magnificent smile, embracing her as she approached and them. Calleigh returned the embrace tightly, the welcoming sight of an old friend warming her on such a morose day. It didn't escape Jacinda's observation that she was wearing black , telling her that today was Max's funeral. It still astounded Jacinda that Max was Rory's half brother , and her heart felt heavy at the sorrow that Rory must've been going through, even while excerising all of his efforts to save her. She could only imagine what he was going through today.

"Jen, it's so nice to see you!" Calleigh exclaimed as she smiled. Jacinda noticed that it didn't quite reach her eyes and she sighed , knowing that her mother was still entrenched in her own worry for her. Despite having told her and her father for the past two days that she was fine, Calleigh still seemed to cleave to the worry, carrying it around her noticibly .

"It's nice to see you too, Ms. Calleigh. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Jen,"Calleigh returned , her eyes settling on her daughter, "And you? How are you doing this morning?"

"I'm good, Mother. Honestly."

"Sure?"

"Positive. Don't believe me, check my chart. I'm sure it's down there somewhere," Jacinda retorted irritably. The last thing she wanted was her mother smothering her.

"Jacinda, there's no need in being that way, I just want to make sure that you are alright."

"I am, Mom," Jacinda exhaled. Closing her eyes she took in another breath, " I'm sorry ."

"Don't worry about it. I just wanted to check in on you. They are still releasing you this afternoon, right?"

"As far as I know, and the sooner the better," Jacinda quipped as she looked to Jen who had remained silent. "What I wouldn't give to be in my own bed tonight."

"Ah, yeah, about that," Calleigh intoned as she moved closer. "Your Dad and I were talking..."

"Are you serious? Dad and you...talking?"

"Jacinda, I'm serious. We think it's a good idea if you stay with someone," Calleigh said as she reached out for her hand. " It won't be anything permanent..."

"What? I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right, but I could've sworn that I heard you say that you both thought it was a good idea to stay with someone. And just who would this someone be?"

"Well, me."

"Brilliant," Jacinda huffed as she sat back roughly. She gathered her thoughts before looking up at her mother once more, " Mom, I'm extremely capable of taking care of myself, and I have my own place. I have a lease."

"Your Dad took care of the lease, and I highly doubt that you are going to be safe in that apartment with what has happened there."

"Mom..."

"Jacinda, at least until you have the baby. I just wanted you to be safe."

" I can take care of myself, Mom. Really, remember, I grew up all those years?" Jacinda countered angrily. She couldn't believe that she was being snowballed into living with her mother.

"Jacinda, look, it's not forever, just until you have the baby and get back on your feet."

"There's no way of getting out of this is it?" Jacinda asked, crossing her arms at her chest.

"Not a chance," Calleigh replied quickly, patting her leg. She glanced at her wrist and then smiled brightly at Jen, " I've got to get going. Jacinda, I'll be back for you after the funeral, and Jen, it's been great seeing you again. You look great."

"Thanks, Ms. Calleigh," Jen answered as Jacinda waved her mother out. When the door closed, Jen turned to Jacinda, " Wow, living with Mom."

" A party every night," Jacinda quipped sarcastically. Jen gently slapped Jacinda on her arm and settled in, starting a conversation about what had been going on in the lab. Jacinda nodded and listened to Jen, all the while her thoughts being with him. Suddenly, she couldn't wait to see him.

/CSI/

Rory slipped on his jacket, a scowl coming across his face as he gazed into the mirror, shaking his head. He was never really one for suits , much less black ones, but he knew it was necessary for the day. As much as he didn't want to see this day come, he felt a sort of relief as he continued to stare at himself, dusting the fine lint off of the jacket. He was never fond of solemn occassions, the last being attending his mother's funeral, but he owed this to Max; just catching his murderer, and exacting his own revenge wasn't enough, not by a long shot. He may have told Alexx and Calleigh that he and Max weren't really close, but in his heart, he knew differently. Max always looked up to his older half brother, and in turn, Rory looked to Max for a slice of stabilty. With his mother gone, and entering into a new family, Rory found himself somewhat lost in the foray of everyday living, and Max , in all of his little brother glory was there to make it better.

Rory's line of sight caught on the family portrait done almost ten years ago and smiled heavily. As always, Max had been the one to rile everyone up just as the photographer had taken the picture , and the end result had been a scowl from Max, and a plastered on smile from their mother. The smile dwindled and a tear snaked down his face as Rory turned from the picture, unable to look at him any longer. He would miss so much about his brother. There was a sort of emptiness that now encased Rory, for what had been there was no longer, and he suddenly felt more alone than he ever had been.

Wiping his eyes, he started the walk from his room, leaving the memories . The door bell rang, startling him slightly and he slipped on a pair of dark sunglasses before reaching for the door. As he opened it, he could feel the sorrow as it crept up on him, filling him. Looking at his Dad and past him to his mother who half heartedly waved through the limosine window, Rory knew that this day was going to be the hardest. This day, he was going to have to face the lost and the deep emotional trench that came with it.

/CSI/

Tim watched with a heavy laden heart as the pristine flag was presented to his family, memories of that day swallowing him whole. With anguish filling him, he heard the gun salute, the oppressive grief swelling inside of him. It took all the strength he had to remain standing there, amazed that he had any left. The cases, coupled with his bout of new found grief over his losses, had Tim staring into a dark abyss that had practically sucked the life from him. Since RJ's funeral, Tim had done everything possible to forget the day his boy went into the ground. Now, at Max's funeral he was forced to replay every excruitating moment, the torture of sitting in the chairs that Max's family now occupied, coursing through him. Tim suddenly found it hard to breathe and it became shallow as his gaze dropped and he closed his eyes, willing for the moment to pass. Feeling a warm hand slip inside his, he opened his eyes once more and slowly lifted his head in her direction, her warm smile greeting him.

"It's almost over, Tim," she whispered softly, squeezing his hand gently.

Thankful for the comfort he saw in her eyes, he nodded silently and focused on the priest as he spoke. The air seemed void of any sound as the rapid beating of his heart became promient in his ear. At any moment, if he didn't find relief, Tim was sure that he would falter. The sudden movement from the group rousted Tim out of his state and he looked to her again, seeing complete understanding. The thought of Robin entered his mind and his heart dropped into his stomach, the notion of her returning to England being made very clear by her. He questioned his every move, wondering just how he ended up in this predicament and came to the conclusion that maybe their time was up. Maybe it wasn't meant to last.

Calleigh tugged on his arm lightly, a small smile gracing her beautiful face. If there wasn't a more opportune time to rekindle what they had, Tim couldn't think of one, but oddly, all he could think about at that moment was Robin. He could still feel the pain of her cold stare the last time he saw her and how it penetrated to his very core. There had been finality in her eyes.

"You okay?" Calleigh asked as the group began to dwindle. The team had rallied around Rory and his parents, and Calleigh had nodded , moving towards them. When Tim remained still, she turned to him, her expression a mixture of understanding and desire , flirting with compassion, "Tim?"

"Cal," he said as he cleared his throat, looking in the direction of his resting place. " I can't."

"We understand, Tim," Calleigh replied simply as she gave his arm another squeeze . Tim sighed heavily, his eyes connecting with Rory's. Rory gestured in acknowledgement and Tim returned with a grateful smile.

"Give my condolences?" he asked softly, turning towards his desired destination once more.

"Of course."

"Cal?"

"Yeah?" she questioned as she felt him leave her grasp.

"Thanks."

He started to walk off, turning back slightly to see her beaming smile as she gave him a small wave. Calleigh watched him until he was out of sight and then moved towards the group. She recognized his need to be alone and hoped that in his solitude, he would find the peace that he was looking for. Looking towards the winding road , Calleigh saw a familiar car inching slowly along the path, readily recognizing the driver and the passenger. She grinned deeply as she tossed her hair behind her, her eyes steadying on his distant figure.

" You're welcome , Tim."

/CSI/

Tim stood silently above the granite stone, his hands submerged deep in his pockets. With every breath he took, he could feel the stabbing ache of a grief not yet laid to rest, the agony of standing there alone coursing through him. A stray tear escaped , traveling slowly down his face and he sighed deeply. Only six months had passed , yet it felt as if it had been a lifetime ago ,yet time had not made it easier on Tim, but rather harder. Each day, Tim felt as if he was unable to move towards ultimate understanding and rationalized that he probably would never be able to do so. But the reality of the situation was ,that despite his tries, RJ was still dead and he was left to carry on.

Exhaling sharply, he pulled his hands out of his pockets and knelt down, reaching out to the stone. The smootheness of the stone served as a cold reminder that his son lain underneath it, and soon more tears followed, tracing a pathway of despair from under his dark sunglasses. A moment passed and he gathered himself as best he could, finally finding his voice as he released his hold on the stone.

"Robert," he croaked, his voice breaking the silence of the atmosphere as a soft breeze began to flow through. The humidity had been graciously low, the bright blue skies being a drastic contrast to what Tim was feeling . The outward beauty of the day ate at him that much more, knowing that his son wasn't there to enjoy it. "Everyday it gets a little better, but the emptiness, the pain, it's still there. In losing you, I've lost so much more. Your mother," Tim paused as he brought a hand to his forehead, releasing another heavy sigh, " Your mother and I..."

"Are having a rough time of it," she finished gently as she approached. Tim spun on his heels to come face to face with her, instantly seeing the apologetic expression in her dark eyes amid the darkness of her pain. She moved hesitantly towards him, her eyes beginning to crinkle with tears, her hand outstretched, "Tim..."

"Robin, what are you doing here?" he questioned as he slipped his glasses off. The sorrow entrenched within his own dark orbs took Robin's breath away and it hit her right at that moment. She had been selfish with her grief and instead of fortifying her marriage, she had toppled it.

"I suppose," she started as her hand rested limply by her side, her gaze lighting on the stone. A shaky breath proceeded and a tear dropped freely as she looked back at him. All pretenses were gone, the weight of the situation laying everything bare. The moment of truth had arrived for them both. Robin swallowed hard as she continued," I suppose I deserved that, and I have no excuse for my actions. I'm sorry, Tim, for everything, every misunderstood feeling, the missteps I've taken, every accusory tone. I was afraid Tim, deathly afraid of the unknown and my fears took over. I shut completely down and inadvertendly, shut you out. I should've never left you to navigate your loss, our loss alone. It was ...it was all my fault, Tim. I should've been there for you. I'm so sorry."

Tim moved to Robin as she began to melt with her cries, taking her firmly into his arms. For the first time , the oppressive sorrow that had encased him was starting to lift. Pulling her closer, he lowered his head to her ear, the familiar scent of her assaulting his every senses. What had been missing was now finally returning to him.

"It's alright, Robin," he coaxed , rubbing her back in small circles. Her warmth gave him strength and he gently pulled away from her, tilting her chin to meet his gaze. Wiping her tears, he smiled through his own, his joy overwhelming, " We can work through this, together."

Robin sniffled as she allowed a small smile to form, gazing into his eyes and seeing nothing but perfect love. Her fears were unfounded and the realization had finally come that he had always been there, willing to love her.

"Together," she whispered softly as the wind picked up slightly. She turned to face the head stone, the sounds of her light weeping filling the air as she let him go and moved towards the stone. Plunging to the ground, she put a hand on the stone and her cries grew expotentially as she brought a hand to her forehead. "I- I haven't been here...since ... since his death. What kind of mother am I? How horrible could I have been?"

Tim knelt beside her and encircled her with his arms, bringing her closer to him. The moment of understanding and forgiveness had come , yet Robin still felt the need to forgive herself. Tim rocked her slowly as he ran a comforting hand through her hair, whispering to her as she wept more, lifting his sights to the stone. A shadow passed over them and he looked up to see Mallory as she stood silently, her eyes glistening with her unshed tears. She smiled at her father as she knelt beside them both, placing her hand on the cold slab. It had felt like a homecoming to her, and in that moment, she was sure she could feel her big brother watching over them.

"Hi, RJ," she said in a quiet voice as she took her place beside her father.

Tim made room for her and gathered them both in his arms, his heart finally finding its light. Together they remembered, and together, they would stand and walk into the future.

/CSI/

Jacinda stood at the foot of the bed, making sure that everything was ready to go. The doctor had finally discharged her and she now waited for her mother to arrive and take her home. A mirthless laugh escaped as she slammed the bag down on the bed, running her hands through her hair frustratingly. When she was a child, she could barely stand staying in her mother's home, now as an adult ,she was sure that her sanity would slip much quicker. And the fact that she was pregnant wasn't lost on her, knowing that her mother would succumb to her need to smother her.

"I will go insane," she said out loud , sighing heavily.

A small chuckle filled the air and she turned to see him as he entered the room slowly. The dark suit that he wore accented his body well and Jacinda raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms at her chest, her belly getting in the way. A different feeling rose inside of her and she tried to keep it in check, groaning at the sight of his irresistible smile inched across his face.

_Irresistible?_ She questioned herself as she shifted her weight under his gaze. The light caught his gray eyes and she exhaled slowly, almost getting lost within them.

"That won't be much of a change," he quipped as he closed the door. Jacinda scowled slightly as she mocked a laugh, sitting down on the bed. Rory walked to her taking a seat beside her and leaning forward on his knees. He took a moment before he spoke, his eyes remaining on the tile floor. " You know , about the night before..."

"Don't worry about it, Rory," Jacinda dismissed easily. Her heart stopped and she winced at the indignant tone, turning her sights to the window as she silently cursed to herself. Gathering her facilities, she turned back to see him staring at the floor still. Getting up, she came in front of him and knelt, taking his chin in her hand, "Rory, what's the matter?"

"When things happen, they add perspective," he started, his eyes finally connecting with hers. "I lost my brother..."

Jacinda took him into an embrace and she felt his chest heave with a heaviness. Instinctively, her arms encircled his neck, her hands going into his hair. She held him closer and could feel his need for release, "It's alright, Rory. I'm here."

Rory returned the embrace as he fought for dominance over his emotions, eventually losing out as a stream of tears poured from his eyes. When he was certain that he could handle looking at her again, he pulled away gently, taking his hand and caressing her cheek. Loss always reflected on what was still left, and Rory's heart was now alive at that notion.

"That night, I know you didn't want a life changing revelation, but Jacinda, I have to tell you how I feel."

"Rory..."

"Jacinda, I love you, plain and simple," he continued , straightforward. " And I know you still have feelings for RJ and I respect that. But I couldn't walk through another day without letting you know that I'm in love with you and had been every since the first day I saw you."

Jacinda stared at him in almost disbelief as she lost her balance and toppled back, her backside hitting the floor. Rory got up quickly and helped her up, pulling her up with ease as she fell into his arms. She chuckled slightly as the color rose in her face, realizing that his lips were inches from hers. As much as she wanted to deny the attraction, it was now staring her in the face. Yes, she missed RJ, but she had made a vow to herself, and even to him at his grave , that she was going to move on with her life.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes searching hers as his grin became wider.

"I'm fine," Jacinda replied demurely , moving a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. The gaze lasted longer and she felt the insane need to feel his lips on hers.

"I'm going to kiss you, Jacinda," he warned before advancing.

"Hmm mm," Jacinda nodded, her eyes hooding over. The faint sensation of his lips brushing against hers, sent a spark through her and she opened her eyes to slivers before he connected again. The kiss took a passionate turn as he held her closer, his hands snaking through her blond hair. Jacinda lost herself in his touch, her own hands running through his dark hair, then holding on to his face gently. Neither wanted to break the embrace, but the need for air presented itself and they suddenly pulled away, the silence of the moment almost deafening.

Rory smirked as he looked away and back to her, his eyebrows lifting as he spoke, "Well, that's how I feel about it."

"Indeed," Jacinda breathed out, "and you've felt this for six months?"

"Yes."

"Under all that teasing..."

"I was trying my best not to kiss you."

"Really?" Jacinda asked, actually surprised. When he had started, she had likened him to a close friend, even when going out for drinks. Now as she thought about it, she could see slight hints to his feelings and she shook her head at not recognizing them earlier.

"Yeah, you know the bully always teases who he likes. Boys are stupid that way," Rory quipped as he leaned in once more.

Jacinda laughed and she leaned in as well, her lips ghosting over his. They shared a quick kiss before hearing a knock and they pulled apart quickly, Jacinda straightening out herself, as Rory adjusted his suit. They smiled between each other as Calleigh emerged , a quizzical expression coming over her.

"What have you two been up to?" Calleigh asked, narrowing her eyes at them. The air was charged and a smile formed as she watched Rory grab the bag off of the bed.

"Nothing," Jacinda answered quickly, a snicker escaping as she glanced back at him again.

"Nothing, huh? So, Jacinda, are you ready?"

"More than ever," she replied, keeping her eyes locked with his. He cocked an eyebrow and allowed her passage, following Calleigh out of the door. The possibilities suddenly became endless.

_Two months later..._

A sudden jolt awakened Jacinda and she sat up, momentarily confused at her settings. Since settling in with her mother, she had constantly argued her case against it, explaining to her mother, and sometimes, even her father, how capable she was of taking care of herself. And every time she started it, they had finished it by standing their ground. There hadn't been a day that had passed since she got out of the hospital that she let the matter rest, and if she could help it, there wouldn't be. If there was one thing that Jacinda couldn't stand, it was being bound and as she had already concluded , her mother was smothering her. To death.

Getting up ,she swallowed hard, the familiar feeling of a dry throat annoying her. She was due any day now, and being truthful, she was more than ready. The last three weeks had proved harrowing for her, the doctor putting her on bed rest for the remaining weeks of pregnancy. The only thing that was keeping her sane were Rory's frequent trips to the house, providing her with a respite from her mother's mothering. She smiled absently as she walked, thinking about Rory and how their relationship had turned for the better. The day at the hospital had been much more of a catalyst, but she had made it certain that she wanted to take her time and Rory explained to her in so many terms that he was wiling to wait. Even as she thought back to the words he spoke that day, she felt a flutter in her heart at the depth of his feelings towards her. There was something special brewing between them and she didn't want to ruin it by moving too fast.

Shuffling towards the kitchen a sudden pain erupted and forced her against the wall, her eyes now fully open. She grasped at her stomach as she stood still, trying to catch her breath. As the pain dwindled, she decided to start walking again, this time towards her mother's room, and sensed the pain as it started to return. Picking up her pace, she burst through her mother's door just as she felt a rush between her legs and a mind numbing pain encase her. Jacinda screamed loudly , waking Calleigh instantly, her long blond hair set in a messy braid, her eyes clouded with confusion. Rubbing them, she centered her gaze on her daughter and knew exactly what was happening.

"Jacinda?"

"Mom, I think it's time," Jacinda puffed as another pain rose to meet the old one. She cringed as she screamed again, her eyes constricting, " Mom, I know it's time." When Calleigh didn't move, she yelled, " MOM, GET UP!"

Calleigh shook herself out of her stupor and began to move, grabbing her keys and phone off of her dresser, "We've got to call Tim..."

"Call him on the way," Jacinda breathed out angrily. Her mother just seemed not to be moving fast enough for her taste.

"But, honey, don't you want him to meet you?"

"CALL HIM on the WAY, MOTHER!" Calleigh stopped in her tracks and stared at her for a second and Jacinda looked back at her, crying out, "Why aren't you moving, Mama? Please, let's go..."Calleigh started in motion once more, helping her towards the door just as the phone was ringing. Jacinda could see her desire to get it and growled, "You're better off letting the machine catch it."

Calleigh continued to move, finally getting her to the car and placing her in the seat. Starting the engine, she flipped up her phone and adverted her eyes to Jacinda as she began breathing heavily, a worried look coming about her. Slamming the car in reverse, she waited for his voice and sighed heavily as she spoke.

"Tim, it's time."

Fin

A/N: And now ends another installment of the New Recruits. Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing, and I'm mulling over whether to continue. Thanks again! - Anni


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